Interesting Meditations
by Aminta.defender
Summary: While investigating something in the force, Luke Skywalker is thrown into the past where he sees many forgotten faces. How will his tampering with the past affect the story? Darth Sidious will not go down without a fight though and Luke finds things never stick to the plan when his father, Anakin Skywalker is around.
1. Chapter 1

**This story sticks to the first six movies and anything happening after the sixth movie can be considered an alternative universe or whatever doesn't make your head hurt. I make the following events up.**

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars

Corruscant continued to evolve throughout the centuries, the few monuments carefully preserved against the flow of time and they were the only way to track the changing times. In the bustling planet wide city there were the patches of freedom where nothing moved containing these monuments. Tourists could visit the old Jedi Temple that had been rebuilt, but sadly never lived up to its former glory. A couple blocks away stood Darth Vader's castle, its dark presence sending involuntary shudders through the visitors as they began to weep due to the intense feeling of agonizing grief that still echoed through the halls long after the fall of the Empire. On the other side of the planet existed the old Senate building; a museum for those in love with politics, and within a record was kept of the evolution of politics.

Every months or so tourists would come to an old racing track from the time when the racing fever swept across the galaxy holding races with the vehicles of the time. Deep within in the depths of Corruscant the old power core stood empty and silent; devoid of the hum that used to come from it a century ago. Corruscant now ran on a faster and more efficient power. The most popular spot for the last half a century was the old factory; a monument decreed by the people of the galaxy and stood untouched despite the Senate's best attempts to disband it. Here the tourists could watch the security vids of the great battle between the Jedi Grand Master and Darth Scavil. As they wandered the halls one could see the grooves and other damage caused by lightsabers.

The skies of Corruscant were a blur of flashing colors of speeding air vehicles as a lone X-Wing entered the atmosphere. It wove through the traffic crisscrossing it and ignoring all known traffic rules. Its grace was unmatched by any of the more modern vehicles despite being a creation that should only exist in a museum for archaic devices. With a final twist it flew into empty airspace and began to glide down.

The Jedi Temple was deserted with a thin layer of dust covering the building and surrounding area. The X-wing landed; disturbing the thin layer of dust. Out of the back popped an astromech droid with a burst of fire letting the droid land easily. "You are such a show off Artoo" complained the cloaked person, a hood hiding his face as he slowly levitated himself out of the cockpit. Artoo swirled his domed head and whistled. "Easy Artoo, you are the last astromech droid to actually work out in space, meaning it is a pain to repair you and if you call me a show off; I may find a better occupation for my time, such as actually being a show off." The droid looked rather dejected before it began to chortle in amusement leaving his annoyed master behind as he moved toward the temple doors.

The man began to follow when he stopped; his hand dropping instinctively to the lightsaber beneath his cloak. "Luke!" came a shout and Luke relaxed just in time as a figure barreled into him giving him a warm hug. His hood lowered through use of the force and he whispered, "I missed you Leia." before returning the hug.

They stood there while Artoo waited off in the corner recording the moment like so many others and he had never been caught. _This will fit nicely into my collection. I should upload this into the Senate then they can see their hero. Luke Skywalker is after all not six feet tall with flaming hair and bulging muscles. Humans… they just don't make any sense. This will be fun! _

Leia stepped out of Luke's hug, "Something tells me this isn't a pleasure visit Luke," her face became sad, "Luke you have not aged for a thousand years, but I do and my time will come and I wish to be there with my younger brother."

"Older," came the automatic reply from Luke. Leia sighed, "Not this again! Apologies my Grand Master Jedi for doubting your instinctive feeling that you are older, when I for all appearances am the elder!"

"Hush Leia. After I finish my business I will stay with you, maybe tour the galaxy. I need a vacation after all."

"What is this business anyway?" Leia asked and Luke began to speak, only to stop when they heard the distant, but familiar sound of blaster fire, "That," Luke said. A questioning eyebrow was raised by Leia in return.

He sighed, "The Jedi Master and I have known for a long time that there was something… wrong in the Force. The Force is now almost entirely gray, balanced… so logic dictates that crime rates would fall and people will be happier, yet while it has happened to some extent crimes continues to come forward for no reason. Twenty years after the fall of the Empire I noticed this sickness. It originates from a scar in the Force. I believe it comes from having thousands of force sensitives die at once. We need to heal it. So I will meditate here and try to find the solution," Luke paused looking around in the night, "I would do anything for it to heal and finally have peace. Humans aren't meant to live this long with no end in sight." Leia smiled and began to talk, but far away something registered Luke's words.

Nobody knew half the things the force could do, but Luke Skywalker knew more than most. To the Force who was very sentient it made sense having chosen him as the Chosen One. The Force was infinite, knowing no meaning of time, but existing everywhere, and every _when_, but there was a center point of divergences where the Force could only, and not know the outcome. Times was a web of lines moving across worlds sharing many things with a spider's web.

The web stretched across all of the various Universes linking them together and keeping them separate. Events would often reflect over the web onto other worlds. The Force could skip divergence points and sometimes saw outcomes. It, as the Force had no gender, stumbled upon its end and released the prophecy to guide the universe where the end would all begin. Of course the ridiculous minor beings had warped this prophecy and messed up ultimately creating the Scar. Yet there was hope.

R2 rolled after Leia, whistling goodbye to Luke and Luke waved after him before opening the great doors of the Jedi temple.

The Temple was deserted as the Jedi Grand Master walked through the halls, his footsteps echoing through them as he felt the undercurrent of emotions in the temple from that fateful night. He wandered into a room that had been left untouched. The ruins still stood and one could see the burns from lightsabers and blasters. Luke felt the long forgotten presence of Yoda and smiled as he went wandering over to a secluded area as he sat down to meditate.

Luke sank into the Force, entering its gray presence. Once immersed in the Force he created his body. When younglings started to meditate they would remain in the Force as their Force presence absorbing feelings. That was the boring part of meditations. A youngling would rise to initiate level if they could begin to collect their signature and create an eye which they could use to look at the Force. Once this was accomplished the Jedi Knights who were in charge of teaching had to put a time limit for meditation time. Benefits for Initiates and Padawan often included traveling to a different temple as one could see the Force differently in different locations. He swam through the Force observing the different tendrils of Force presences emitted by every living being. The Searchers were adept at finding Force sensitives through meditation, even possible trainees.

Trainees were non-Force sensitives that were trained by the Temple and were known throughout the galaxy as the master of their trade. Public appeal rose when the poorest person could have a chance at a better life if they were skilled enough.

Luke neared the scar where light and dark patterns conflicted brightly with the grey, peaceful sea. He swam closer watching as the battle between the two forces leaked into the peace. As if the scar noticed his approach tendrils of dark and light shot to him trying to convert him, whispering into his thoughts. Luke easily pushed them off and could have sworn that the Force was delighted in his success. He moved closer and all of a sudden the scar consumed him, sucking him into the turbulent sea. In the distance Luke could hear laughing and a surge of hope came through him from one last tendril of grey. His last thought before vanishing completely that his theory that the Force was sentient was very likely.

**Approximately One thousand and Three Hundred Years in the Past:**

Anakin Skywalker entered the Room of a Thousand Fountains with his mind in turmoil. For once he had taken his Master's advice to meditate and he wandered over to his secret spot where only Yoda ever found him, it was still a mystery how to him. Walking past one last fountain he stared in shock to find another fellow Jedi with his hood up, meditating. Anakin looked at him in confusion as nobody in the Jedi Temple kept their hood up. Staring at the floating figure, Anakin tried to think of who it could be. A rash impulse overcame Anakin and in a move that his Master would reprimand him forever for he moved to touch the figure ignoring the warning through the Force. His hand brushed the cloak and he found himself on the floor with a lightsaber to his neck.

**This is my first fanfiction so please don't kill me. As one can guess, the Jedi Order changed drastically. There are couple of points that may need clarification.**

**1\. Nobody knows that Luke Skywalker is still alive and the Jedi Grand Master. After all no one can live that long.**

**2\. All potential Force sensitives and Trainees are considered Younglings who then graduate to Initiates, Padawans, Jedi, Jedi Knights, and Jedi Master, while Trainees after being a youngling are apprenticed to a couple of Jedi.**

**Hopefully that clears a few things up. I will try to update on a weekly basis, if not every other week. I am also looking for a Beta reader, if you are interested please P.M. me. Reviews are welcome, but please be respectful. **


	2. Chapter 2

** I am very sorry for taking so long to update, it has been a hectic two weeks. On the bright side, I finally got a Beta Reader after sending out so many Beta Reading requests (I believe it was ten). So here is the next chapter!**

The lightsaber hummed slightly, its emerald blade lighting the Jedi that quivered beneath it. Luke stared at the figure below him who had the piercing blue eyes of his father. A small bee hummed in silence next to him and landed on his head. He could feel the sleepy peace radiating from it. _My father is not alive and while this man looks like the Force projection that I see at least every year, he is still dead. _His eyes hardened and he whispered out coldly, "Who are you to so rudely interrupt my meditation?"

"Anakin Skywalker... Sith!" Anakin hissed through his teeth, his face turning red.

Luke looked at him closely, probing with the Force gently. He stared at him silently, "Youngling," grabbing Anakin's chin, "I am no Sith." He retracted his lightsaber with a "woosh". _This is greatly disturbing, as I am either in the past or have a great… whatever…. grand son who is a clone of my father. _Anakin stared at him full of suspicion, "I know every Jedi well enough to recognize them and _I_ have never seen you before!... Nor am I a youngling!" he paused to regain his breath, "Prove you aren't a Sith."

Luke gently grabbed a fat fly out of the air and looked at the complicated wing design before letting it free, "A Sith is a word used to describe a group of people. The word is no different than the word Jedi; it is just interpreted differently. Have you ever looked at the wing of a fly?" Luke gazed at his father for a couple of seconds and the Force hummed in agreement with his belief. _I am either dead or in the past. What a conundrum. _"I'll take that as a no… The wings of a fly, not even a butterfly, bird, or even a bee, but one of the simplest winged creatures to exist is extraordinarily complex." Walking over to a flower, he grabbed another fly, "If such a simple creature can be so complicated on the outside, then who are we to judge sentient beings on the inside… The most complicated part of a sentient being is their emotions. There is no logic or order to them, instead they spring up at random intervals and confuse others. The Sith you fear are the ones-"

"I do not fear the Sith!" shouted Anakin. Luke frowned at him, "To deny your fear is even worse. I was saying that the Sith should be pitied because they allow themselves to fall to their emotions without logic as an aide. The dark side makes them incredibly close-minded to such an extent that the simplest and most efficient solution is overlooked as an impossibility." Luke tore the a petal off a flower and levitated it in his hand through the use of the Force, "A Sith sees the petal as doomed to die, but the open minded individual may find hundreds of possible uses for the petal and can even do this…"

Anakin watched in amazement as he felt the Force vibrate as the stranger lowered the petal to the flower shredding it slightly. The flower quivered accepting each piece and repositioning itself. "Now there is a new species of flower that will grow here. Never stop to think and question, for when you do the dark in you will grow until there is nothing left that lets you think anymore… The light does the same with different, but just as dire consequences. The dark side leads to chaos through a long windy and usually obscurred road, while the light side embodies structure and law leaving no room for change. There must be balance in the Force."

Luke watched his father with satisfaction as he felt his words impact and settle part of the storm that raged beneath him, "Why don't we meditate here and you can use your meditation to think? Giving yourself opportunities to think deeply is very important..."

Obi-Wan sighed as he saw the distant form of the Chancellor approaching the Jedi Temple. _Anakin! Where are you! The stupid, annoying, and overly enthusiastic Chancellor is coming; probably to talk to you, then send us off onto another mission. _Turning around Obi-Wan walked back into the temple pretending not to hear the Chancellor's shouts. _What trouble have you gotten yourself into this time, my former Padawan? You are not answering my comm calls. _Closing his eyes Obi-Wan tried to stretch out with his senses to locate Anakin, only to meet with failure again. His presence was there, but too spread out to pinpoint. He began to walk forward and bumped into Artoo. "Anakin says you're smart… So where is Anakin?" Obi-Wan asked in desperation. Artoo whistled and whirled his top around before rolling off leaving a frantic Obi-Wan to follow him.

Artoo rolled into the Room of a Thousand Fountains and whistled happily. Obi-Wan stopped looking extremely annoyed, "Artoo! Anakin hates meditation. He doesn't meditate for more than an hour and he has been gone for," he paused to check the time, "four hours!" Artoo ignored him and rolled away, leaving a sulking Obi-Wan behind.

"Artoo! Don't do that!" came a shout stopping Obi-Wan in the process of leaving. He smiled fondly at the loud continued curses in Hutteese. Following the uproar, he stepped into a small clearing where, to his relief, was Anakin. "Now you know how it feels to be abruptly woken from meditation. It isn't like I cursed at all, so stop complaining Anakin," reprimanded a voice. Startled Obi-Wan looked at the cloaked Jedi, who was leaning against a pillar with his arms crossed, apparently oblivious to the animals covering him. He could have sworn that under the hood the Jedi was smirking.

The familiar tapping of Yoda's gimer stick caused Anakin and Obi-Wan to whirl around in surprise to face the aged Jedi Master and the Chancellor.

Yoda hopped up onto a white marble fountain and sat down, "A mission for three Jedi, there is. Wishes that you and Anakin will participate in it, the Chancellor does." The Chancellor shifted, preparing to interrupt, but stopped when he felt the pressure of the Force from the mysterious Jedi press on his mind in a clear warning. 

Palpatine listened to Yoda respectfully, while internally his mind moved forward at a million miles per hour. The mere notion that there was a Jedi with enough strength and experience to surpass his shields enough to give a warning was dangerous. Even his own Master had trouble surpassing his shields to give such a warning, it would have been impossible for him to do it so quickly. He was thankful for that because otherwise his plot to kill his Master would have never had any chance of succeeding. He doubted that Anakin could do it in such a short time without aid from the dark side and even then he didn't have enough experience. This strange Jedi was a great hazard to his plans and should be removed as quickly as possible before he caused too much damage. Even now the battle between the light and dark was diminishing. _This will simply not do._

Luke Skywalker gazed at Sidious in worry. _He is horrible at shielding. Even my younglings can shield better than him. Unfortunately I don't wish to die so that will be a great hitch in his plans. Kill all your opponents! How typical of Sith! I have had much better enemies plan on thousands of ways to kill me or some other plan. So he will send an assassin after me, which will be a total failure as I am sure that the assassins I had to deal with were much more dangerous with their automatic targeting and wide blast range. There was that Mandalorian bounty hunter who had a late acting invisible poison that would kill you if you escaped. Anything he can throw at me I am sure that I will be able to deflect._ He stopped his thoughts having assured himself of his own safety and the possible threat of Sidious to him. Turning to Yoda, he began to listen again to the mission briefing.

"To get the necessary information as quickly as possible and get out safely before the Separatists detect you, the idea is. Who the elusive Darth Sidious is, the information may tell and contains military plans of the Separatists it does. Understand, Hhmmmm "Yoda paused thoughtfully, "Who wish you to join the team, Anakin and Obi-wan?" Yoda stared at the duo.

Luke peered at the rather senile, but knowledgeable Jedi Master. _I always thought that him talking backwards was part of him spending too many years of isolation on Dagobah. It isn't like the rest of his species does it. _Luke cleared his throat attracting everyone's attention glancing down momentarily. Moving his head up he addressed Yoda, "How was this information gathered? After all there is a high probability of this being a trap and if the Separatists are informed of our mission it is quite easy to be captured." He smirked as he saw the brief flash of yellow from Sidious's eyes._ Not too happy eh? This is quiet an interesting game that two can play. After all the Force brought me here for a purpose and until I found out why, I might as well enjoy myself... Yes an interesting game indeed. Let's see how you fare against an actual and skilled opponent._

Sidious glowered and stepped forward, "This information can surely be trusted as it was gathered by Republic spies."

"So... if Anakin and Obi-Wan encounter any trouble that can only be caused by forewarning, does that mean there is a major mole in the system, as a smart system would insure that every member only knows partial information?" Luke paused in false thoughtfulness, "Chancellor, are you the only one that is privy to all the information to prevent leaks?" Staring at Sidious's angered face he tutted, "I can hardly blame you if this is not the case, as not everyone can imagine such perfectly ideal systems. It is a special gift of mine. A suggestion should be that all Generals or high ranking officials are privy to exactly what part of the spy network every person is aware of so that the mole can be easily caught."

"Yet who are you?" remarked Sidious in an attempt to turn the accusations away from himself. Turning all the way to glare at the mysterious Jedi, he continued, "I have never seen you in the Temple in all my visits, nor is it common for Jedi to have hoods obscuring their faces."

"I see… Well I am so sorry for forgetting to introduce myself. You may call me Luke Spaceflyer. And for why you have never seen me before… the Force brought me here. Of course it is hard for a non-Force sensitive to understand, so don't be upset." _Maybe Sidious will become so angry he charges me with his lightsaber and forget about my hood. _

Sidious felt his anger at the impudent Jedi growing. "I do not trust you, do not know you, and therefore will make no dealings with you," he turned to the other Jedi giving a slight nod and smiling at Anakin to keep up his grandfatherly facade. Walking away he appeared collected, but inwardly his mind was raging and plotting ways to kill the imbecile Jedi.

Luke shifted his attention to the others, "Who exactly was he?"

"The Supreme Chancellor Palpatine," Anakin hastily supplied.

"Ahh, a politician."

"Not all politicians are bad!"

"I know Anakin, after all my sister was a politician," Luke assured.

Obi-Wan smiled at Anakin, pleased to see someone argue with Anakin in a way that didn't result in a fighting match or one member storming off in frustration. Stepping forward Obi-Wan proposed his idea, "Why don't you come along on the mission, Luke and we can get to know you better?"

"Sounds good," replied Luke stepping forward across the grassy patch to shake Obi-Wan's hand. There was a "splat" and on their hands was a pile of a bird's leftovers.

Yoda laughed in his annoying fashion, "Good luck among my people it is for a bird to bless an agreement. Go with you Luke will." _You haven't changed a bit Master__Yoda. It is nice to see you make more jokes. The death of the order made you too serious. _The news of the third participant in the mission made Sidious grow in excitement. He had been right, sitting on a nearby fountain had allowed him to gather vital information.

Darth Sidious glowered in anger at his trembling apprentice that kneeled before him, "Find a way to ensure that the new Jedi is killed along with Kenobi!" he paused in consideration, "Actually if possible capture the mysterious Jedi so I can make him pay for all his insults against me!"

"Yes Master it will be done," promised Dooku.

"Wait my apprentice make sure that nothing can be traced back so it is a happening of pure chance… like a pirate attack." The comlink switched off and Darth Sidious sank into his red chair, his eyes burning yellow. _That Jedi will pay! Who is he to question me? _The room filled with malevolent energy as he donned his cloak to head out into the Corruscant night to find a release for his anger. _The Force sent him and that is the most dangerous part. Poor apprentice, you may find yourself dead, after all he is very powerful._

** I hope you enjoyed the chapter and hopefully the next one comes a bit sooner than this one. Special thanks to my Beta Reader ****T'Reilani, for editing this chapter and mentioning that Sidious is over-reacting to Luke. My explanation is he hates finding situations where things do not go to according to plan, as we can see from episode six, where he plans out exactly how the space battle will go. He needs to maintain his ego and therefore hopes to eliminate two threats, while boosting his self-confidence. Thank you for all the reviews, it means a lot.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well, I haven't updated in forever and I am so sorry. I experienced the dreaded writers block and kept putting the story off. I am so thankful for the people who commented and followed, reminding me that I have to update the story. So enjoy…. And I don't own Star Wars, Disney located on planet Earth does.**

The shades were lowered in the meditation room leaving it dimly lit. Yoda sat quietly on a cushion as he warily watched Master Windu pace in front of him. Master Windu completed his circuit and stared at Yoda, "Are you even listening?" before beginning to pace again, "How do we know if this so called Jedi can even be trusted, this… Luke Spaceflyer!" Windu sank down to a cushion, putting his head into his hands, "How can we be sure if he _should_ be trusted, if he is who he says he is?"

Yoda sighed and grabbed his cane as he slowly got to his feet, "Surrounded by the Force he is Windu. If an enemy he is, doomed we are, but if a friend, then the cloud of the dark side may be lifted." Yoda hobbled in front of Master Windu staring into his eyes, "Hides his true power he does, hard pressed we would be to confront him," he paused slightly, "Believe me not? Find your own answers then."

Master Windu sat in the room staring at the spot Yoda had vacated. Checking for his own lightsaber on his belt and confirming its presence he left the room. As he walked through the hallways of the Jedi temple searching for "Luke Spaceflyer" he tried to understand what Yoda meant. Caught in his musing he nearly collided with a certain Anakin Skywalker coming around the corner. "Oh, so sorry Master Windu, I really should have watched where I was going, are you okay?" Master Windu glared at him and Anakin quickly said, "So sorry, but I have got to go." Watching the receding figure of Anakin Skywalker Mace Windu released his frustrations to the Force and followed the young errant Knight to his destination in hope of finding the Luke Spaceflyer.

Yoda found himself once again in the garden wandering to the spot where he had met the interesting young man. _Young man does not seem to describe him correctly though. _Walking deeper into the foliage he stopped at a small clearing. The Force rang with a clarity that Yoda had never witnessed before. The strange Jedi's Force presence covered the clearing and seemed it to amplify the Force, but it didn't feel light, more grey, yet the plant life seemed to flourish. The stain of the dark side, which he had never noticed before, was gone. Yoda breathed in deeply at the pureness, bringing forth memories of a long time ago when the dark side did not obscure everything. He walked to the bench and the Force began to hum, there was something for him to know. Once again, Yoda wondered if perhaps the Force was slightly sentient, also he disregarded the notion. Closing his eyes he settled into meditation.

_ Yoda stood in an empty meadow and the wind howled around him. Grabbing his gimer stick Yoda began to tread forward. For every step he took the wind began to press harder against him until he couldn't move at all. He struggled there unmoving as the wind became stronger and stronger until he fell to his knees. As he lay there on the floor Yoda tried to call out for help but the wind ripped the words from his mouth. He tried to call on the Force in an attempt to save himself before the wind destroyed him only to be met with emptiness. "What are you doing?" asked a voice, "I haven't seen you before." Yoda attempted to look around for the voice, but he couldn't move. "Are you alright?" inquired the voice sounding concerned, "What's wrong?" Yoda clenched his stick as it began to evaporate. "Are you hurt?" the voice asked gently with a slight note of panic, "I have never seen something like this happen before, can you focus on my voice?" Yoda tried to nod, as he listened to the voice's frantic worrying. "Master Luke would know what to do. He is my master, please let this work. Focus on my voice, can you feel my hand? Don't answer, don't move, just focus." The wind began to subside and Yoda opened his eyes to stare at a young girl sitting in the meadow. The meadow had changed slightly and there was only a slight breeze guiding various creatures across the sky. Yoda began to sit up as he stared at the young creature across him. She smiled, "I'm so glad you are okay, what happened?" _

"_I was meditating in the Room a Thousand Fountains when I landed in a meadow, similar to this one, just there was wind howling," replied Yoda uneasily as he watched the stranger. _

_She frowned at him, "I have never heard of this room, what planet is it on?"_

"_Corruscant" said Yoda with a frown. _

_The girl shook her head and narrowed her eyes, "Nobody meditates there, besides some senior Masters and they always schedule in advance. The last person to register to meditate there was Master Luke. Who are you?"_

"_Master Luke?" murmured Yoda to himself, "I am Jedi Grand Master Yoda and I am afraid I do not know what you mean." The girl stared at him in confusion and Yoda began to feel extremely uneasy. _

"_Master Luke is the Grand Jedi Master… Which Sith Lord had a castle on Corruscant?" Yoda stared at her in confusion, "Castle? The only Sith Lords I know of are Darth Sidious and his apprentice. We thought the Sith to be extinct, a grave mistake I admit to." The girl stood up, "There is something you must see, Master Yoda."_

Master Windu followed the erratic Anakin Skywalker to his quarters where he saw the man he presumed to be Luke Spaceflyer. Remembering Yoda's words he gently probed his Force presence as the man in question walked up to him and found it to be bound. Turning to the man he bowed politely, "I am Master Windu, I hear we have an unexpected guest. I was hoping you would like to spar." Ignoring the young Knight's gaping mouth he gazed at the cloaked Jedi imploringly.

Luke Spaceflyer bowed to him, "That would be a wonderful idea Master Windu. Call me Luke though. Do you wish to spar now?"

"Yes, in the sparring rooms of course."

"Lead the way" said Luke.

Artoo whistled happily as he drove along the long corridors of the Senate building. The senators paid him no mind although he carefully kept out of sight from a certain brunette who would have sent him immediately home. Slipping into an elevator Artoo quietly observed those around him. The elevator dinged and Artoo discreetly exited and disappeared into a crowd of passing politicians. Stopping at the Supreme Chancellor's office he released a signal which would unleash a virus of his own creation and hopefully open the doors. He was Artoo and he would make sure his Master would stay safe and the unusual stranger had revealed some important points which required investigation. _Fleshies can be so stupid after all. Any droid, with the exception of Threepio, would have immediately investigated the senator. Threepio would just wail in distress and cause an excellent distraction. _The doors opened and Artoo wheeled in. Scanning the room he noticed a slight irregularity in the far wall. Approaching the wall, he selected one of his adaptors and began to scroll through all the information, highly suspicious information. Connecting the private network with the information to the main network, he beeped happily as the virus did its work and released the information for everyone to see. The following day would leave certain Senators sweating in worry as all their underhanded dealings were exposed. _Most importantly, my Master won't walk into a trap, again._ The little droid left the building without drawing any attention and rolled up to Threepio who was standing in front of the chancellor pleading for him to call for peace talks so he wouldn't have to get in any more dangerous situations.

On the little bench surrounded by trees, Yoda sat meditating as he gently floated upwards. _Yoda followed the young girl with trepidation as the landscape changed. The girl sat down on a cliff with her feet dangling down, inviting Yoda next to her. "Are you curious where you are Master Yoda?"_

"_Very, never have I seen anything like it"_

"_This is my mind or my dreamscape, except I created it for meditation. There are multiple ways to traverse the Force and this way allows me to formulate possibilities. I can build myself a spacecraft or a speeder with mere thoughts and alter it. Yet despite my thoughts the Force can alter what I create, I find it the easiest to understand the Force this way. Other Jedi will ride the Force or swim through it. There are many ways to meditate, but everyone has a certain forte, unless you are Master Luke." she said with a slight laugh, "He is a horrible teacher when it comes to meditation techniques because he has no method. He discovered nearly all meditation methods and mostly by accident."_

"_Why am I here?" asked Yoda standing next to her. _

"_Master Yoda," she began, "most Jedi accept that time does not hold true to any conceived laws while meditating. You, my friend have broken that barrier of time. We are speaking across a thousand year gap and for this to be possible probably means my Master did something while meditating on Corruscant. But what I wished to show you is below you, it is where the Force gathers and why most Jedi do not meditate like this, because the pit you see cannot be controlled. I surrounded it by stone walls and my Master insured their integrity; the pit is contained. I have entered the pit, and that is what is unique to my meditation grounds. Other Jedi bury it, my Master asked me to keep it open and by doing so I can enter it and see things that I need to see. I believe the Force brought you here so you can see something." _

_Yoda nodded sagely and turned to her, "Jump". _

_Yoda jumped. Pain tore through his body mingled with grief and rage. He opened his eyes to watch a man shout something and he shouted in return. The pain was immense and light flickered above him and he felt like embracing the darkness. There was a hiss and he could breathe. He began to walk, every movement causing him immense agony. He bowed to man he called Master. Then a red saber swiped through a body only for it to disappear. "Luke" came the cry through the darkness. A boy clung to a vane staring at him in terror. He told him, "I am your father" and raised his hand to help him only for the boy to reject him and escape to his death. The boy stood before him bravely and unarmed. Lighting raced through his son and he turned to his Master. There was agony and he could feel himself dying. His weak eyes stared at his son's face. Free at last. Love._

Yoda exited his meditation and frowned. The intense agony he had felt from this individual was unbelievable. The man whose agony he had shared was presumably Luke Spaceflyer's father. _It seems that the longer I know him the more questions I will have._

**Hopefully the next chapter will come out quicker than it took me to release this one. On the other hand Artoo decided to do something while I was not watching. The next chapter will probably include a duel between Luke and Master Windu. A question for my readers: Do you want possibly more frequent updates, but shorter chapters or is the current chapter size fine? Please comment and follow as it keeps me inspired.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A new chapter! I hope I did a good job writing the duel, as it is the first time I've tried to write a duel. Someone asked why I did line breaks with all the weird symbols. The reason is that I mostly read fanfiction on my mobile device as it is easier to look at my tiny screen and I can leave the fanfiction and start exactly where I left off in the chapter. There is only one problem, normal line breaks don't show up on the mobile app. The line break is rather essential as it signifies a viewpoint change. Back to the story. If I owned Star Wars then I wouldn't have to worry if the upcoming Star Wars movie will live up to its name. Enjoy...**

Two lightsabers clashed in between the opponents. The air was tense as the duo entered their intricate and deadly dance and sweat glistened on their hands. The first person to make a mistake would lose.

Luke and Windu stepped back from each other pausing to regain their breath. The real duel had yet to begin. The opponents tested each other, noting the other's weaknesses and strengths. Mace Windu charged forward and officially began the duel, playtime was over. The green lightsaber waited patiently in the hands of Luke Skywalker.

A purple lightsaber swung forward and began to aggressively snake around its opponent. It was met with a calm, green blade which blocked the purple blade strike for strike. The purple blade moved faster and faster, increasing the tempo. Overhead. Jab. Block. Lunge. Cut.

The green blade held still and let the opposing blade slide off it. It moved as an extension of its Jedi's body seemingly having a mind of its own. The tempo increased, but instead of parrying, the blade twisted, and glanced the blows redirecting them harmlessly. Then something changed.

Now the purple blade stayed on the defense as the green lightsaber came forward. The opposing force was nearly overwhelming, threatening to force the purple blade to make a mistake. Upper block. Parry. Guard. The opposing blade was moving too fast and the purple blade was losing its rhythm.

Anakin Skywalker watched from the sidelines in fascination as the two Jedi sparred and flew against each other. He could feel the force around them and they moved with a grace he envied. He turned to his Master and stared at his worried face. Both parties were using their normal lightsabers. A mistake could kill them.

The green blade released the pressure on its opponent allowing him to regain his breath and was on the calm defense again. Moving like water it blocked the first strike and stepped into a block for the second strike. Luke refused to lose any ground, but seemed content to allow the opponent to wear himself out.

Mace Windu could honestly say he would be worried if this was a real battle. Perhaps to the audience, that they had accumulated, he was evenly matched, but here in the spirit of the battle, he knew that he was being played. His opponent counterattacked and seemed to taunt him with the nearness of the blade to his vitals, sparing them by the width of the nail. It had started as a test for the stranger, but now the stranger was testing him and Windu felt like he was failing.

The battle paused and perspiration slid down Master Windu's face as he pressed against the lightsaber. He released and tried to attack. But the blade was already there blocking him. Then the force warned him and he turned to block the next incoming strike to his back.

Luke shifted and faked a lunge forward. His body settled into a steady rhythm. Defend. Attack. Defend. The goal: to improve. As Mace Windu attacked he changed and became older with a mechanical hand. His face was haggard and his eyes told a long miserable story of pain and suffering. A man that had also died a long time ago.

"_Hello Luke," called out Mace Windu's voice as the Jedi Grand Master passed the infirmary._

"_Hello my friend," he said pausing by his room, "How was your mission?"_

"_My friend, it was terrible. I spent a month sitting in the snow and convincing the hostile population that I meant no harm." _

_Luke smiled as he noticed the steadiness of his friend's voice. Luke could tell he was healing, the spark of insanity had left his eyes, but the man did not believe in himself. He went up to him and enveloped Mace in a hug, "It is a long road to healing. Please my friend, take a student. There are so many younglings who need teachers and not enough Knights to teach them. You need a child's innocence and their unwavering faith. A student will help you heal and in return the student will become a greater Jedi."_

"_For you I will, only you," admitted Windu. _The memory went back farther to the first time he had met Mace Windu.

_ A Jedi and his Padawan walked through the broken city when the Padawan called out in surprise. Luke hurried over to his first student and looked at the man he had found. The force gently pulsed around him. His student looked at Luke in surprise, "He is alive master!"_

"_Yes. I am afraid he is the only survivor," said Luke. The injured man was transported on a medical frigate while his Padawan tried to use the Force to alleviate the man's pain. The man would wake in two months screaming for a city that had been razed to the ground by some of the old Empire groups. He would cry and scream, but never talk to anyone and looked passed them with haunted eyes. The healers worried for him and said he was a lost cause. They said it would be best to give him what he wanted, peace. But Luke refused, and said he would look at the man himself. When Windu first saw Luke he had attacked him, shouting that he had betrayed the Jedi. Luke refused to leave to despite the medics request and spent every spare moment trying to ease the man's suffering and pain. The healers worried that his presence would disturb the man, yet Luke knew his presence was causing the man to confront reality. He would need to confront reality if he wished to survive and heal. Then one day when he entered the room there was a lightsaber flying to his heart and a new duel began. _

Mace Windu noticed the change in style immediately. His opponent had settled deep into the Force and had become absorbed in his thoughts. Part of Windu was envious at his skill to not even have to focus on the battle. He prayed to the Force that the man in front of him didn't forget that this was a duel and not a battle. The Force blast caught him off guard and he flew to the back wall.

A shaky Mace Windu stood up and frowned. He charged, hoping, irrationally that he could break the man out of his trance. Unknowingly, he began to copy a dance that happened many years in the future.

_Luke blocked the incoming strike and felt the Force hum in danger. The man in front of him was an expert with the lightsaber, but his body was weak. Luke called on the Force to calm the man and played purely defensive._

Windu growled softly, the man's defenses were impenetrable. Shaking off his confusion at the calming waves of the Force he felt, he strengthened his attacks.

_The lightsaber seemed to snake past his defenses ready to draw first blood. Too late its owner realized the trap. Luke Skywalker shut off his lightsaber and his opponent stumbled off balance._

Mace Windu stared in fascination at the lightsaber which had moments ago resided in his hands and now lay in his opponents hands.

"Are you okay," Luke asked softly. Looking up to the usually hooded face, Mace stood shocked at the familiar face that had revealed himself. The hood had fallen off. Luke stared at him blinking, slowly hands reached to his head to confirm the absence of the hood, "Well, I guess I don't have to worry about wearing a cloak now." He looked at the foreign lightsaber in his hands and tossed it to Mace Windu, "I am so sorry about the fight, your fighting style reminded me of someone I once knew"

Bowing he left the room and Mace Windu wondered exactly who his previous opponent had been and why he had sought to disarm. The spectators began to leave the room in puzzlement. Mace Windu turned around as he heard the soft tapping of Yoda's gimer stick.

Master Yoda walked over to him, "What conclusions have you drawn or are there only new inquiries to be made?"

"Master, I can draw no conclusions except that this man could destroy us easily if he so wished, but I do not believe him to be an enemy, although his resemblance to Skywalker is disturbing." He bowed to Yoda, "Goodnight Master." Yoda frowned as the usually respectful Master hurriedly left the room.

Anakin Skywalker had been one of the first people to leave the room in search for Luke Spaceflyer. He personally didn't know how he felt about a person wearing such a similar face to his. Standing outside the doors, he looked around the halls as he tried to see where Luke might have gone. Anakin had to admit that Luke was different, he had an unique outlook on life. There was something about Luke that drew Anakin in. Perhaps it was the way that Luke seemed to always know that something was troubling him or the fact that he felt as if he should have known Luke his entire life. He walked down a hallway tentatively but didn't see any sign of Luke. _I will find him though_. "Hello Anakin" said someone behind him. Whirling around in surprise he found Luke leaning on a pillar, "What are you doing here?"

Luke looked at him bored, "I am leaning against a pillar. This pillar is especially wonderful because it has such a nice temperature compared to the other ones I have found," he paused and began more seriously, "In all the excitement about my arrival, my lodgings seem to have been forgotten, you see I don't seem to have a place to rest for the night."

"You can stay in my room for the night" offered Anakin hesitantly.

"Why, thank you, but I would hate to steal your room"

"No, I have another place where I can go." Starting to walk down the hallway he thought of Padmé, his beloved wife. He entered his room silently, deep in his thoughts. Luke walked over to the bed, glancing around the Spartan and dusty room,

"So who is the lucky girl?"

Anakin snapped out of his reverie and stared at Luke in shock, "Excuse me?"

"It is alright if you do not wish to speak of your love life, but if you don't want to make it obvious at least make the room look like it is lived in, not a forgotten storage closet. Your expression reminds me of a certain scoundrel when he was thinking of a princess," Luke replied calmly, "Was there something you wanted to ask me?"

Shaking his head to dispel certain thoughts from his mind Anakin stared at Luke and the words left his mouth before he noticed, "Why do you look like me?"

"Well I can not be sure as I haven't studied genetics intensely. Perhaps we are related distantly. But it isn't my place to say anything because I am not qualified, perhaps you should take your inquiry to a medical droid?"

Anakin looked at Luke in disbelief. _He has Padmé's chin and her nose. Stop, this is creeping me out. That person is from the past and has no relationship to myself or Padmé. It can't hurt though to ask a medical droid though. _Anakin stood at the doorway and prepared to leave when another thought entered his head, "Do you ever have visions of the future?"

A tired sigh came from Luke, "Visions are tricky things and can be manipulated. The first time I had a vision and acted on it, I nearly died," Luke walked over to the window gazing outside, "I saw a vision of my friends in danger and despite my Masters pleas and warnings, rushed to save them. They were fine and my actions put them in danger. Had I delayed, would my vision have come true? I don't know." Luke walked up to Anakin, "Remember this though, the vision I had of my friends was a trap. It was all a ruse created by a Sith Lord. Visions are there to give us wisdom and warnings. There is no point on dwelling on a vision, sometimes it will never come to pass and it will not make sense until the time for it has passed. The visions one receives allow us to make better choices when the time comes, but until then, do not dwell on them."

"I had a vision of my mother dying and I was told to ignore it. When I finally got a chance to check on my mother… she died in my arms… and I"

"Killed them all. A blue lightsaber separating heads and bodies. Turning on the children. That was my vision. Did I understand it then? No, do I understand now? Yes. Had I acted on my vision I may have done something ridiculous such as being suspicious of my students. My suspicion could have led them to such an action. But have you asked yourself Anakin how long Tusken raiders usually keep their victims alive? People are hardly ever rescued because they are already dead. The Tuskens take captives to milk them for fluids, but with every moment of their captive lives, the more water he or she consumes. They are usually dead before the attack is finished. They are always dead within the next few hours. Why was your mother different Anakin? Was your vision just a trap, like my first vision? Goodnight Anakin" Luke smiled at him gently and began to move around the room to get ready for bed.

Anakin swallowed, "Goodnight" and left to hurry over to Padmé's apartment. He needed to see her, to hear her to calm his mind and the voices of doubt within him that questioned everything he believed in.

The Force watched its chosen one as he began to create changes. Already the changes were rippling across the spider web of time. Its scar wouldn't be healed, but the process could begin. It wanted to interfere and reassure its chosen one as he went to bed and grieved for the one's lost in his life. The Force felt saddened by the way his mind screamed in agony as he mourned all those he had known. The boy, as he was just a boy to the Force's immortal life span, who would never age. When he discovered that he would never age, never die, he would probably rage against the Force for denying him peace. Oh, the Force wished it could weep for him and the suffering he would still have to endure. It had interfered as it could, prolonging lives of his non-Force sensitive friends, yet they died. Leia had been the easiest to slow down her aging. Her bond with Luke naturally slowed down her aging as it tried to allow her to live with Luke. A twin should never have to watch the other twin die. The bond wasn't enough though and so the Force had intervened slowing her aging down even further. But even aging slowly means that at one point, one will have to die. The Force swarmed over the sleeping man as he dreamt of his past and soothed his injuries. For some reason, he had never chosen to regrow his lost hand when the technology became available. The Force wondered why. Perhaps it reminded him of his father and youthful foolishness. An idea came to the Force, it had already led Yoda to the future, in hope to help its chosen, but perhaps he could let the two twins have one last goodbye before Leia moved on. Perhaps. Until then the Force needed to find a way to ensure that its chosen would have the peace he wished after he healed the scar. It was only fair. The Force cared about balance and for balance to be achieved, things had to be fair.

In another time, Luke's Padawan exited her meditation giving a content smile; she was a knight, officially. Dea Iola gave a small sigh and she searched through the Force for her Master, former master's, Force presence. Her eyes opened in panic as she couldn't find it. She tried settle her racing heart, thinking of the ancient Master Yoda she had met._ He had known Luke, but how could Luke be gone?_ Leaving the meditation room she began to run with a sense of urgency. Stopping an elderly Jedi, "Master Luke is gone!" The Jedi tried to calm her, "It will be alright miss, we will find him"

A couple hours later a meeting began and an old Jedi Master quarreled with another on how to proceed. Luke Skywalker's former Padawan stood in the center of the room worrying. She gasped when Leia Solo entered the room scowling.

She stood by the door for a couple minutes until her patience came to an end and she shouted, "Enough!" Guiltily the other Jedi Master looked around. Leia glared at them all, "We will find my brother, but quarreling won't get us anywhere," turning to Dea, "Report." The Jedi Masters listened as she began to recount her meeting with Yoda and finding out that her Master's Force presence was gone. The Jedi took on a determined air and even though Leia wasn't a Jedi, she joined the planning. No one would ever dare to confront her when it came to her brother. They would find Luke Skywalker, even if they had to break the laws of physics. The laws were meant to be broken after all.

Oblivious to events elsewhere, Luke slept and Darth Sidious plotted. Neither was aware that certain events were being set into motion which would be giving them both migraines due to a certain loyal twin and astromech.

**Well once again something unexpected happen such as Leia deciding that being a Princess requires having some attention. Despite that, I find it hilarious that in the last chapter I asked if you guys wanted shorter chapters and rolled out my longest chapter so far. A couple more chapters and we should see the Chancellor's rescue. The next chapter should include the aftermath of Artoo's surprise and maybe more background, as well as some of Luke's problems. I had actually meant to include more background story in this chapter, but it didn't fit that nicely in. I hope the fight scene wasn't too confusing with the viewpoints changing and incorporated flashback, but I felt that it gave the best angle and allowed for some background information. Is there any one's viewpoint you particularly wish to see? Thank you to all the people who followed, favorited, and reviewed. It always make my day seeing that my story is appreciated.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I apologize for the lateness of this chapter, but I was incredibly busy. Without further ado, chapter 5!**

**...I lied, Master Yoda wishes to tell you first that I do not own Star Wars.**

Luke Skywalker, now known as Spaceflyer, woke with a start, just in time for someone to hammer on the door. With bleary eyes he stared at it sadly. Using the Force he carefully disassembled the trigger on the door, ignoring the pounding on the door. Finished, he opened the door to face an infuriated Windu.

Something was wrong, if the expression on Mace's face was anything to go by. Looking at Mace, Luke all of a sudden was reminded of his first Padawan, Rick. The Mace in front of him wasn't his Mace. He hadn't gone through the many trials or lost his hand. He had never spent years living in guilt or watched his home being destroyed. The man Luke had known, was a broken creature who had healed. The man in front of him was whole, but weaker. A small wistful smile must have broken through, because Mace asked, "What?"

"You remind me of my first Padawan Rick. He always had the same expression that you have on his face, when he was exasperated."

"What happened to him?"

"He died. A Sith killed him and sent me the footage."

Mace looked at Luke in surprise, "I am sorry, I didn't know."

"Do not worry about it, I have long gotten over it," a sad pause, "Why are you here Mace?"

Mace looked at Luke and laughed slightly. "I am surprised you are awake. Sorry if I woke you. I was actually looking for Skywalker, Kenobi is looking for you."

"It is a good thing I woke, I wouldn't have wanted to have an early cold shower," Luke joked with a small smile, pointing to the bucket suspended above his bed.

Mace followed his finger and looked at it in shock, before finally just shaking his head and stepping out of the room.

Luke followed the man outside and smiled gently as he noticed his wariness. The duo began to walk forward and Mace pulled out a comlink, presumably to tell Obi-Wan that he had found him.

Luke shook his head in exasperation. _My father is going to be so embarrassed, when he realizes that people have been looking for him._

Mace Windu continued to walk briskly through the temple halls, ignoring the stares from the nocturnal inhabitants. During the walk, Luke noticed that he maintained a careful distance between himself and Luke. Gently, Luke probed his mind. _He is wary of me. I guess it makes sense, but I will never be able to help them if I do not have their trust. _Luke stopped suddenly, causing Mace to whirl around with his hand hovering above his lightsaber. Addressing Mace, "You do not trust me."

"I can't. You are an unknown variable and we have no way to confirm that you are who you say you are. "

"But you respect me for being a skilled dueler," Luke continued, "I do not wish you harm. It is only fair that I earn your trust. A question for a question?"

Mace looked at Luke carefully and smiled before continuing to walk, "We must hurry, but I will take you on your offer. Who is your father?"

"He was once a SIth Lord," came Luke's sad reply. Mace stopped his fast pace again and stared at Luke, "_What?_"

"A question for a question" countered Luke.

Mace gave a small tight nod, but looked Luke in the eye, promising to revisit the subject. Unfazed Luke asked his question, "Why are you a Jedi?"

"Because it is the right thing," said Mace confused.

Luke stared at him in sadness. _Perhaps he would have had an easier time to heal, had he had a reason. The right thing. That is the easy answer. He doesn't know why he is a Jedi. _

Mace continued walking oblivious to Luke's thoughts, "Explain how your father is a Sith Lord."

"That's difficult and an incredibly long story. But, my parents were married and in the natural cycle of things…"

Annoyed, "That is not what I meant and you know it."

"I never knew my father while growing up and he was unaware of having a son. When he found out he tried to convert me and as I am standing in front of you, it obviously failed. In the end though, he returned from the dark side."

"Impossible!"

"It is not. I have seen many darksiders leave their hatred behind. They just need a proper or strong motivation," Luke explained. The rest of their walk was spent in contemplative silence.

The hangar bay was impressive for the time period. Luke, of course, was rather underwhelmed and instead reminded of his days serving in the Alliance. The soft rhythmic pounding of Yoda's gimer stick caught Luke's attention. Stretching out with the Force, Luke noticed the Master's worry and frustration.

Mace turned to Yoda and bowed, "Where is Skywalker?"

_Besides you Mace. The other one, is flying into the hangar right now._ Luke smiled at the sight of his father spinning into a stop and scaring Mace with his antics.

An annoyed Obi-Wan entered from the side and immediately began to scold Anakin on his reckless flying.

Luke turned to Yoda, "I take it there is something of grave concern?"

Yoda nodded sagely and looked at Anakin sadly, "Information leaked there was. Attacked the Senate was by the leak of information. A youngling out of bed noticed it first. Lucky we are, to have been notified. Among the leaked plans, Darth Sidious's were and act fast we must, to use the information," the aging Jedi Master said turning to Luke, "I ask you, if travel with Master Windu, Master Kenobi, and Knight Skywalker you will?"

"Of course Master Yoda" Luke replied easily, "I take it we should be going?"

"Yes, yes, on your way you must go. Dooku, a Sith Lord, on Felucia he is"

Luke smiled at Yoda and allowed Mace to introduce him to his snub fighter, while Anakin and Obi-Wan discussed mission details with Yoda. Luke frowned at his new astromech, he missed his Artoo. He gazed at his father's fighter and at the astromech within it. Artoo was beeping happily and Luke was instantly suspicious. Perhaps his father had not been around the astromech long enough, but Luke knew Artoo well enough to know that the droid did many non-droid like things. _Artoo… What did you do now?_ Luke's face betrayed none of his surprise as an idea formed in his head. _Did Artoo leak the information because he is certainly capable of the act? Artoo was there when I confronted Sidious and would naturally be suspicious. Sometimes that droid is too clever for his own good. _Luke shook his head in exasperation and inspected his own astromech, an Arfour unit. The droid was perfectly acceptable, but Luke needed a droid who was beyond acceptable. Beside being sentimental, Luke had kept Artoo because of the droid's ability to assist him during his flights. The droid in front of him would not be able to suffice. Groaning, he turned it off and began to tinker with its inner mechanics.

As Luke altered the droid's circuitry, Mace wandered over with an expression of horror, "What are you doing?"

"A few improvements to make the droid acceptable," Luke responded tersely and ignored Mace's ramblings. Finished with some basic alterations, Luke stood up and turned the droid on. It beeped a couple times before looking around. "Up you go little guy," Luke said with a smile and used the Force to lift the droid in the fighter. Looking around he noticed his other companions climbing into their fighters and gave them a mock salute, before using the Force to jump into his own fighter.

The snub fighters lifted into the air and headed out into space. Once in space they disappeared into hyperspace to head to their destination.

Darth Sidious, also known as the Palpatine woke up from his slumber with the nagging feeling that something was wrong. There was a dark cloud over everything and for the first time he couldn't discern the future. The darkness that once clouded everything was shifting and in turn blocking his vision. Slightly disturbed he decided to warn his apprentice, it would not do for him to die before Skywalker was ready to embrace the darkside. Finding a new apprentice would take up his precious time. Turning on his long range communicator he waited for it to be ready to begin his transmission. Nothing happened. _What the? _

"Signal Blocked"

The objects began to rattle around the room and Darth Sidious's eyes turned bright yellow. Taking a deep breath, he swallowed his anger to be used for another time. If he used the darkside of the Force now then every Jedi would know exactly where he was. _Signal blocked? How can the signal be blocked? What is happening? _Livid with his inability to answer the question in his mind he stepped outside of his room.

"Stop!" ordered a Clone Trooper and Sidious turned in surprise. His normal guards were no where to be seen and instead there was a platoon of Clone Troopers. The unease began to grow and he turned to the commander, "What is the meaning of this?"

"I am very sorry Chancellor, but we are acting upon reliable information, Darth Sidious is within the Senate or at least very close to a Senator and is most likely on planet. Until further notice, you will have to be guarded against possible Separatist threats."

"Very well" Sidious said plastering a concerned looking on his face, but inside he was seething. _How dare anyone order him around and how had someone found out that he was within the Senate? _Calming himself enough not to lash out anyone and reveal his true presence, Sidious calmly reentered his chambers to contemplate the unforeseen disturbance to his plans. The door slid shut behind him.

Darth Sidious walked over to his desk and activated his datapad. He leaned over and looked through his scrapbox. Finding what he was looking for, he held up a small insignificant looking cube and connected it to his datapad. With nimble fingers he began to download and delete all the data pertaining to his activities as a Dark Lord. Quickening his pace as footsteps began to approach his room. The footsteps continued past his door and he gave an inaudible sigh of relief. Frowning he stood up and began to collect various dark objects around his room. The pile on his desk began to grow.

Darth Sidious had an unexpected dilemma as he looked at the objects obscuring his desk from view, where to safely deposit all his questionable stuff. If there was news about a Sith Lord, then the Jedi were sure to inspect every room, and the objects he had, would definitely be suspicious. The real problem was that Sith Lords were selfish and he did not want anyone to look at his rare items. Growling in frustration he began to collect even more objects and frowned as he looked at his lightsaber. The lightsaber would definitely give him away, but he was never going to be found without it nearby. The danger of his apprentice trying to overthrow him, when Dooku discovered him without a lightsaber was too great. Dejectedly he clipped the lightsaber on his belt and continued to assimilate the dark objects in his room.

A knock stopped the Sith Lord in his cleaning frenzy. Hesitantly he looked at the door before grabbing as many items he could and stuffing them under the bed. Pretending to just have awoken he let the door slide open. In front of him stood Padmé Amidala looking concerned. "Chancellor, I am sorry for interrupting you this early in the morning, but I need your assistance."

Annoyed, but not letting it show, "Can you wait a minute, while I make myself presentable?"

"Of course Chancellor."

The door slid closed and Sidious began to hide all of his various artifacts around the room. A couple more went under his bed, while the smaller objects were hidden in the planting soil. Other various objects were hidden in the curtains and cupboards. At last, his room was presentable and he quickly made sure of his own presentation before inviting Amidala back in.

Amidala entered and looked around hesitantly.

Sidious sighed to himself and offered her a seat, "So what is it you need my assistance with?"

"Corruption Chancellor" Amidala responded in her infuriating way.

Sidious stared at her in confusion, "I am afraid I do not understand."

"Every Senator's information stored on devices connected to the main network was leaked earlier today. Among this information are corrupt deals. Unfortunately the leaked information does not say where it is from. I was hoping you could assist me with tracking down the guilty parties and bringing them to light."

Putting on a guilty facade, "I am afraid that I can't help you. It is much too large of a project."

"Very well" and Amidala walked out of his room. Stopping the door from sliding shut, she turned to him, "I am always glad of your support for Naboo."

The door slid shut and Sidious stared at in surprise. _I may have underestimated the Senator. Perhaps she is not naive as I thought. What if she sways Anakin to her view? _Alarmed by possible implications, Darth Sidious began to plot another way to get rid of the bothersome Senator. Unfortunately she could not die, because if Anakin ever found out his role in ending her life, he would soon be dead. Slowly he picked up another communicator and smiled when the signal was not blocked. _Grievous, I am afraid I am going to have to ask you to kidnap another person. _He paused momentarily and turned on the secure channel. A new way to turn Anakin formed. _He will follow a certain Senator after all to the end of the world._

The four Jedi dropped out of hyperspace in front of a blockade and immediately turned to evasive maneuvers. Over the com, Luke could hear his father yelling in delight while Obi-Wan telling him to be careful. With a small chuckle Luke began to dive into the blockade with the intention of committing as much damage as possible.

Mace's worried voice called over to him through the com, "Luke! Just because Skywalker does dangerous stunts does not mean you have to try to best him!"

"On first names Mace? I didn't think you cared," Luke teased and pulled abruptly up as two drone flyers crashed into each other, "Don't worry. I am the best pilot that the galaxy has ever seen."

"I am not reassured. That is what they say about Skywalker."

Luke just laughed and shot some drones diving at Mace. _I wonder if the flying gene just runs in the family. _

Anakin's voice was transmitted through the speaker, "What do you mean you are the best flyer? I am! I've shot fifty drones already."

"You're on" shouted Luke, "Although I'm on sixty. But the objective is to get to the planet's surface. Race you!"

Both Skywalkers ignored the dismayed cries from Mace and Obi-Wan, as they flew deeper into the blockade. Luke continued to twist and turn, executing barrel roll after barrel roll to the dismay of his astromech. In tune with the Force he could feel the two conflicted Force presences on the planet below. Distantly he was aware of the awe of the other Jedi as he dodged shot after shot. Luke had not boasted when he said that he was an excellent pilot. His skills were in fact dreadfully under challenged, as he destroyed every droid that shot at him. The blockade was penetrated by a thin tunnel as the Separatist droids began to regroup and shot after Luke, unaware of the other three Jedi following them.

"Slow down Luke!" cried Mace as Luke approached the planet with the droids on his tail. Smiling Luke shouted in return,

"Don't tell the expert what to do!"

Dropping into a deeper nose dive he began to head straight at the planet. Just before he hit the atmosphere Luke turned and shot at the pursuing droids. Using the Force, Luke stopped his fighter in its nose dive letting it slow down to a gradual descent to the planet. The droids he had shot at were disabled and the droids following them were unable to stop. Luke watched with a small smile as a flaming fire ball entered the atmosphere and burned out.

"Lets catch a Sith Lord and his friend, shall we?" Without waiting for a reply Luke headed into the atmosphere and followed the Force presence. Too late did he realize that one of the presences was moving too fast. A fighter shot from the planet's surface, shooting at Luke. Thanks to the Force, Luke easily dodged the shots. The fighter's plan was not a confrontation though, but escape. The moments Luke had taken to dodge cost him and the fighters disappeared into hyperspace.

"We lost Dooku again," Anakin complained. Luke frowned at the slight edge of anger in his father's voice.

"There is another presence on the planet though."

The four fighters landed in front of a small building. In front of them stood a female warrior with her lightsabers drawn. "Asajj Ventress" whispered Obi-Wan. Luke jumped outside of his fighter and stood calmly in front of her as his companions exited their fighters. Luke smirked as she glared at him, not intimidated. Luke frowned to himself as he felt the other Jedi's emotions which bordered on hatred._ Maybe I should find out who you are. _Luke smiled as she pointed her lightsaber at his throat, "You do know that characteristically that red lightsabers belong to Sith Lords?"

"I will be a Sith!"

"Or," Luke began, continuing to smile infuriatingly, "You could be a Jedi."

"What?" asked Mace in surprise.

Luke continued, ignoring the interruption, "Sith Lords tend to be picky with their apprentices. You would have to kill an apprentice to have a chance to be accepted." Luke stared into her eyes, seemingly oblivious to the lightsaber at his throat which was inching closer, "That's what you were trying to do, wasn't it? May I ask, if you would be so kind, what have you accomplished with the dark side?"

"I have killed many of you Jedi," Ventress declared boldly and swung her other blade at Luke.

Years of dueling had prepared Luke for such a situation and before anyone could move, Ventress found herself flying through the air. Luke frowned slightly and grabbed some rope from his fighter ignoring the stares from his fellow Jedi. He walked calmly up to her unconscious body and tied her hands together. Carefully removing her lightsabers and various other deadly objects, he sent her into a deep sleep with the Force. Satisfied, Luke levitated her through the Force and over to his snub fighter, "Now how are we going to transport her back?"

Mace walked over to Luke, "What did you mean when you said she could be a Jedi?"

"I meant exactly what I said."

"But how, I know you said you have seen other darksiders return to the light, but how?"

All of a sudden Luke's age seemed to have caught up with him and he looked Mace in the eyes, "Why do people turn to the dark side?" pausing, "The thing about darksiders is that they fuel their own rage. I find that if you can make them listen to reason and give them a chance, most people will turn. The darkside causes more pain to the user than one would think. Otherwise you can just lock them into a room and shower them with kindness and eventually they cave in."

Luke gave another sigh, before dumping Ventress into his fighter. He looked at his father, "Is there a Republic outpost we can get to quickly? I do not want to be in the cockpit when she wakes up."

Anakin nodded and told Artoo to transmit the coordinates.

Mace looked at the sky and the flittering shadows from the blockade, "Before we go, we should see if we can blow up the command ship."

Obi-Wan vigorously nodded, "With the command ship blown up, the Republic could easily secure the planet again."

"The problem is how do we blow it up?"

Anakin frowned slightly and looked at Luke who had a small smile on his face.

Luke's eyes stared at them happily, "We could just use the Force to swing a couple asteroids at them." Luke's idea was met with a lot of blinking. He frowned at them and grumbled to himself, "And I was the one told that anything was possible with the Force when I said that it was impossible to levitate my fighter." Closing his eyes he called to the Force and mentally pushed some asteroids to the Separatists' ships.

"You're welcome," Luke said politely at the shocked faces and jumped into his fighter. The other three followed suit and soon disappeared into hyperspace.

**How was it? Do you have any ideas what I should do with Asajj Ventress? For those of you who wanted a duel between Asajj Ventress and Luke, I am sorry. Once again I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. It probably did not help that I wrote half of this chapter, then deleted it because I didn't like it or that I had some internet issues. Preferably the next chapter comes out faster. Thank you for all your reviews. Until next time...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Here is chapter six. I do not own…(I would never guess) Star Wars.**

**The inspiration for this chapter came from ****Khalthar and his marvelous idea of what to do with Asajj Ventress. Thank you.**

Asajj Ventress woke to the feeling of pain. Pain was nothing unusual to her; she had felt pain throughout her life, from physical to deep emotional pain. It still was annoying and hard to ignore. Pain was unusual in that way. She had suffered greater agonies, but all she could focus on was her incessant migraine. The events beforehand caught up to her and she stifled the urge to groan. _I am in Jedi custody._ She was under no delusions that she would receive fair treatment or be able to walk free. She had earned the ire of too many Jedi for that. Voices began to penetrate her semi conscious state. They were both in masculine in nature and seemed to be arguing.

"She is dangerous."

"But she deserves a chance. I do not know what grievances she has committed against you, but if my sister can find it in her heart to forgive my father despite the atrocities he committed against her, then I am sure you can do that too."

"Did your _father_ murder all your friends and take pleasure in the cold blooded kill?"

She felt startled at the venom in his voice and struggled towards realm of consciousness. She had to know who was speaking. Curiosity burned through her like a stimulant.

"My father had many faults, but I doubt that she can even _begin_ to compare to my father in her acts."

"Oh really. Your father may have been a Sith, but at least he cared for his family."

_Sith? _The word brought up so many emotions. There was so much longing and a deep sense of betrayal.

"Mace, do not presume you know my father because of the scant information I provided you. My sister forgave him," he paused and continued softly, "Ignorance is a curse. He tortured his own daughter and tore her from her home world in his service to the Sith. If my sister can find it in herself to forgive him, then you can extend the same courtesy to Ventress."

The voices were talking about her. _They must be Jedi. I must escape. They are not to be trusted._ Part of her wanted to go back to unconsciousness and forget her miseries. The darkness was safe and comforting. But she could not turn back and unwillingly she was being dragged toward the light.

The voice replied contemplatively, "You never confirmed or denied the assertions about where you are from. I do not want to know what happens in the future, but I feel as if I will know."

Footsteps faded away and she heard a door close. The remaining person whispered in a dejected voice, "You are too perceptive my friend. I would love to prevent such a nightmare, but if I can, is the real question." A grave silence fell and she struggled through her sleepiness trying to understand what was happening.

"You never expected betrayal from my father" then the room was completely silent and the lights dimmed. _What?_ Confusion filled her and she wished that she could see her jailer. _Who is his father? And what does he mean about betrayal in the future._

Her eyes opened and she looked at the blank ceiling. She shifted slightly and felt a familiar weight on her hips._ My lightsabers!_ Her hand clasped the objects, but it did nothing to ease her confusion. She fingered the familiar hilt and repressed the horrid memories of betrayal associated with it. A soft aroma drifted into her nose and she blinked rapidly as she recognized it. Fresh meat. _Is this a new torture method to taunt the victim with food and deny it? _She grasped her lightsaber tightly and ignoring her protesting body moved herself into a sitting position.

She was on a bed. It was not an expensive bed or even a noteworthy one, but prisoners never received beds. The bed was of the portable kind, which Clone Troopers would set up as they slept through the night anticipating the next battle. The air around her felt wrong. Not only could she smell the aroma of meat, but the Force was calm and tranquil, resting in a shade that she had never encountered before.

Her eyes landed on a little table propped next to her bed conveniently and on it the source of the delicious aroma. She looked around trying to find any restrictions on her to prevent her from eating the meat. There were none except for a small man sitting on the floor meditating.

_Jedi, _was her instinctive response, but she resisted the urge to slay him where he stood. He reminded her a little of her first Master Ky Narec. They did not share anything in looks, but the Jedi before her maintained the same calm air and attitude about him. Shame suddenly overwhelmed her as she thought of what her Master would say about her fall to the darkside. She tried to call on her anger and desire for revenge, but found herself unable to, and she felt a deep sadness grip her. For the first time, she allowed herself to mourn for her Master, who had been the closest thing she remembered to being her father.

Silent tears trace paths down her cheeks as she observed the Jedi. Part of her hated the man in front of her, who had been able to get her to show weakness without even trying. She had never felt such weakness in someone else's presence, defeat perhaps, but not weakness. Master Yoda, despite his skills had not been able to make her feel like this. Carefully she ignited her blades and inspected them, noticing that everything was the same. There was no sabotage at all.

The Jedi had not responded and she noticed his slight elevation from the floor. He was meditating. Anger bubbled in her at his complete disregard for the danger he represented. An image of the man who knocked her out rose within her mind, and she realized it was the same person. A Jedi who had offered her to become a Jedi. He was different than the rest of the order and her thoughts drifted to the strange conversation she had heard. There was something more to this man, whose presence dominated the entire room. Anakin Skywalker was supposed to be the Chosen One, but standing in the same room as this being, she began to doubt it.

She retracted her lightsabers and slowly set them down on the floor. Hesitantly her hands reached towards the meat and she devoured it with gusto. Finished with her meal, she watched the other Jedi in his meditation. She would not disturb him. Recalling the meditation techniques that her Master had once taught her, for the first time in over a decade, she rejected the dark side and meditated.

Mace Windu paced his quarters, ignoring the pointed looks from Obi-Wan and Skywalker. Under normal circumstances he would have never allowed for his emotions to be seen, but Spacewalker was not normal. Conversations flitted through his mind rapidly:

"_Who is your father?"_

"_He was once a Sith Lord."_

"_I never knew my father while growing up"_

"_he returned from the dark side"_

"_The darkside cause more pain to the user than one would think."_

"_He tortured his own daughter and tore her from her home world in his service to the Sith."_

The possibility was ludicrous, but there were other signs, like Luke's strange resemblance to Anakin and they way they flew. There was the strange habit of Luke, to clench his right hand. Or the way his right hand was often covered by a glove, they way his hand felt lifeless in Mace's hand. _Is it that far of a stretch that Luke is from the future? He speaks as if haste has cost him something and in the future cybernetics would be drastically improved._ He continued his rapid pacing that was becoming faster. _Could Luke be a descendant of Anakin's? But that would mean… Anakin has a relationship. He is too easily attached… if he had a relationship it would be permanent… is he married?_ Mace Windu stopped abruptly and his desperate eyes swung towards Skywalker.

_The Jedi order cannot be wiped out. It is not possible, Anakin is the Chosen one. _Afraid, but understanding the necessity he looked at Anakin and voiced his concerns praying he was wrong, "Anakin are you," choking slightly on the word, "married?"

Obi-Wan turned toward Skywalker with wide eyes, as Anakin began to panic. With great sadness Skywalker murmured, "Luke told you."

Mace stared in horror at Skywalker as the implications overwhelmed him. The sentence registered in his mind and he cried, "Luke _knew _you were married? Why didn't he tell anyone? How long have you been married Skywalker? How is it that Luke has been here for a couple days and has already deducted that you are married? How did we not notice? It's Padmé isn't it? We thought it was just an infatuation and that you had overcome it. It is was abnormal already for you to be such good friends with her, but _married_? Do you know what you have done, what this means Skywalker?... The code forbids attachments for a reason, but you did… just that. You were always a rule breaker." Ending his rant, Mace fell onto the bed and put his head into his hands. He just wanted to break down and cry, "Why didn't you tell us?"

Skywalker looked at him curiously and sadly said, "I will get my stuff."

Mace's head snapped back up, "What?"

"I broke the rules. I'm not a Jedi anymore."

Mace shook his head in exasperation and looked at Skywalker closely. At his last words a weight seemed to have been lifted off his shoulders and Mace could discern a subtle difference in Skywalker's Force-signature, which had ceased to be as turbulent. His anger at the Knight abated slightly, _he was simply afraid._

"If you leave, it will so much harder to give you our congratulations."

Skywalker looked at him in surprise.

"Skywalker, contrary to your belief, I am not the evil minion that sticks to the code at all cost. I am just a person."

Had the situation not been so serious, Mace would have laughed at the stupefied expression that adorned Skywalker's face. Realisation swept through him. _"Why are you a Jedi?" Luke had asked him. Why am I a Jedi? Why was Skywalker a Jedi? Why was Luke a Jedi? Sure, many Jedi were raised from an early age at the temple, the only option was to be a Jedi or be sent off to the Service Corps. I may love being a Jedi, but why am I one? Luke had been asking what drove me to be a Jedi; what would keep me as a Jedi. The sad thing is I don't know._

"Look, Sky-Anakin. I cannot understand you, we have entirely different backgrounds and I find your impulsiveness annoying, but the council has been wrong before and I admit to have been wrong before also. I am just a person Anakin. I want to be a Jedi and I thought it meant following the code, but like Luke has hinted towards, there is more to a Jedi than just following the code," he paused and gathered his breath looking into Anakin's eyes, "Luke is different from us. We do not understand him, but I believe there is something that makes him the superior Jedi to us all and it is not his power, or ability to control the Force, or even his knowledge. He knows _why_ he is a Jedi."

Anakin stared at him, "Why are you a Jedi?"

Sighing, "I do not know. I think we were wrong and perhaps we should consult Luke on how his order was run. All prospective Jedi have to come to the temple young or else we turn them away. But because of their youth and lack of knowledge, they cannot know a different lifestyle and are unable to find a reason to be a Jedi except that except that everyone else is a Jedi and they seem awesome, so I want to be one too."

A bitter smile crossed his face and Obi-Wan walked up to him, "I understand."

Obi-Wan turned to Anakin, "How long have you been married?"

Mace also turned to Anakin curiously, "I married Padmé right after the Clone Wars began."

Mace felt shock and found himself respecting the errant Knight, "Well then allow me to be the first to express my incredibly tardy congratulations."

Obi-Wan smiled, "No allow me, I am your former Master after all," continuing more to himself, "So that is why Padmé had Anakin's lightsaber."

Anakin laughed and years seemed to lift from his face, "Thank you," pausing, "Both of you."

Obi-Wan clapped his hands together, "I think this call for a celebration, but first we should talk to Luke. He may have beneficial advice."

Mace frowned slightly as he thought of Luke and Ventress, but pushed his bitterness away, "Luke is in his quarters, but he insisted that Ventress would be with him."

"What?" Anakin exclaimed and anger clouded his eyes, "She could kill him!"

Obi-Wan rested a hand on Anakin's shoulders, "Luke is perfectly capable."

Anakin nodded reluctantly and followed Mace outside the room. Mace let a small smirk escape onto his face. He would be interrogating Luke about the possibility that he was from the future. He looked forward to it. He needed to find out how, if Anakin was the Chosen one, that the Sith had destroyed the order. He was aware that his questions may lead to unpleasant answers, forewarned is forearmed.

He stopped in front of Luke's quarters and opened the door with a wave of his hand. The first thing he saw was Luke levitating in the air and on the bed a meditating Ventress. Aware of Anakin's impulsiveness, he shifted himself to block the entryway. Luke continued to remain unresponsive.

On the other hand, Mace was none too pleased that Ventress had come out of her meditation and had ignited her lightsabers. She was glaring at them with hatred and looked ready to kill them. Mace found himself doubting that anyone would die, unfortunately Luke had yet to come out of his meditations. The two Knights behind him ignited their blue lightsabers, and his own hand drifted to his lightsabers.

"We mean no harm."

Ventress continued to glare at him with obvious skepticism, "Right. That's why Skywalker and Kenobi already ignited their lightsabers and your lightsaber is in your own hand. It just rings of peace."

Mace felt his mouth dry as he tried to think of some words that would diffuse the situation. He noted her defensiveness and the slight tremor of fear, "We will not attack you. You just surprised…"

Ventress abruptly cut him off by throwing a lightsaber at him.

He quickly dodged and it impaled the wall. His own lightsaber ignited and he flew forward to attack Ventress.

Luke woke up from his meditation and landed on his feet gently. He groaned and tried to identify the source of the disturbance to his meditations. Noticing Ventress in front of him trying to hold her own against three of the best duelers in the Jedi Order and failing, he just wanted to groan.

"Please stop."

No reply. Luke ignited his own lightsaber and jumped into the fray, trying to keep everyone alive. Lightsaber battles are not meant for enclosed spaces as he was acutely aware of from experience. The three Jedi backed off as they noticed Luke. A lightsaber swung at him from behind and he lazily blocked.

"Can we please talk about this?"

Ventress stepped back.

"Thank you, by the Force what were you guys thinking? What are we, primates, or sentient civilized beings?"

Anakin winced slightly and retracted his lightsaber. Mace and Obi-Wan quickly followed suit. He turned to Ventress and crossed his arms, giving her a pointed glare. She also retracted both of her lightsabers.

"Thank you."

Anakin looked at Luke carefully and seemed to be trying to ignore Ventress' existence, "We wanted to talk to you."

"Oh joy, I thought that I wasn't a politician."

Ventress gave him a confused look, but remained stubbornly silent. Anakin continued hesitantly taken back by Luke's sarcasm, "We wanted to know what your Order was like and its view on attachments."

Ventress sniffed, "You Jedi are all just emotionless droids."

Luke surprised himself as he began to chuckle. An image of Threepio came into his mind and how he would exclaim in horror. Then there was Artoo who would prank every Jedi. _Droids are not emotionless._

"What so funny?" snapped Ventress getting angry.

Luke chuckled again, "Let's say that some droids have a very distinct personality."

"Like Threepio" chimed in Obi-Wan.

"I had a droid that loved to prank everyone. The worst time was when there was a delegate from the Senate arriving and my droid decided to release some chemical in the ventilation system that made everything pink," pausing thoughtfully, "The younger children loved it. The best time was when my droid made it snow inside the Temple. good times."

He noticed with amusement Mace's expression of horror. "Don't like snow Mace?" he teased.

Ventress chuckled slightly and put her lightsaber on her belt, "You are different from other Jedi."

Luke was instantly acting insulted, "What? But I am the model example of all Jedi. Every Jedi aspires to be like me."

"Don't get your ego too inflated. It might not fit through the door," retorted Anakin.

Luke laughed good naturedly and looked at Ventress, "Would you wish to join me for lunch? I am sure you are starving."

Ventress nodded, "Yes, Master."

All of a sudden weary, "I'm not your Master, Ventress. You are free to leave anytime you wish. Of course we would prefer if you could answer some questions of ours first, but you are in no way obligated to."

"Thank you," she whispered in surprise, "Call me Asajj and I think I will take you on the offer of lunch."

"It's my pleasure...Asajj."

He walked off crisply and the other followed him. He could feel their anxiety and mistrust, but they held Luke in high regard and therefore, for now, did not question his intentions."

Leia looked at the machine skeptically, "Are you sure it is going to work?"

The man nodded and began to give a lecture on the inner mechanisms of the machine, "The idea is that there are multiple planes of existence, which is why hyperspace works. By taking the basic concepts of a hyperdrive we can apply it to instead of entering hyperspace another realm of existence. Previously we were working on teleportation or instantaneous transportation and with the guidance of my colleagues in those fields we were able to meld the technologies into this device. It emits a magnetic field which alters basic quantum particles…."

Leia listened patiently and her eyes began to glaze over. She thought of Han and her brother who would appreciate such technical details more than her. As his speech ended she voiced her concern, "How will we be able to enter the right universe, there could be infinitely many?"

"Ahh, that is why we will only be able to send two Force-sensitives with a close connection to the Jedi Grand Master. From my understanding of the Force, by focusing on his Force presence you will be able to land in the correct universe and probably very close to him."

The other Jedi Masters in the room nodded in understanding, one spoke up, "I think we all agree that Leia should be allowed to go even though she isn't a Jedi. She has the closest connection to the Jedi Grand Master after all, since he is her brother."

The others nodded in the room. Someone else in the room spoke up, "The other Jedi should be a highly adapt Master."

Other members voiced their own opinions. Leia looked at them annoyed, "I think Dea, Luke's former Padawan should go. She posses the most recent connection and notified us of the situation. I believe the Force would agree."

"The Ewok?" dismissed one of the Jedi.

An older Jedi came to her defense, "Despite her size, Dea is highly adept at illusions and has a highly organized mind. We should not dismiss her because of her size and she technically is not an Ewok. The Ewoks were native to Endor, Dea is a cross and slightly taller. She is arguable one of the most brilliant people among the Order and had you been paying attention you would know that she was a major contributor toward the theories that had to be developed to make this operation possible."

The room filled with murmurs of agreement and Leia smiled.

A concerned voice brought forward a different argument, "While we do not deny her sentience and capability to function as any other citizen of the Republic, the Old Republic will view her as a stupid mongrel."

Leia nodded thoughtfully, "It could be an advantage though. We do not know exactly at what point in time we will be landing and our records of the Old Republic are unfortunately scant, but Dea is easily underestimated, but I am sure that my brother has made her into a fearsome warrior. I also know that there has been concern about her maintaining an illusion of being a human, but I think we will agree that it can be a great advantage to us. The Jedi of the old did not employ illusions normally, so we have the element of surprise."

An elder Jedi Master stepped forward, "The discussion is over. A vote will now be called."

The vote finished quickly and a younger Jedi Master was hurried out of the chamber to request Dea's presence. A grim air settled over the room as they powered up the machine.

**Poor Mace. He believes so strongly in tradition and the Code, but now he has to question everything he learned. I personally believe that according to the so called prophecy, Luke fits the terms better than Anakin. I am also aware that I said there may be a duel this chapter, but I found myself rushing the storyline too much. I want to explore Asajj Ventress character a bit more. I am sorry if anyone is too out of character, as I am not overly familiar with the Clone Wars. Most of my information comes off Wookiepedia. Once again, thanks to ****Khalthar for his excellent idea.**


	7. Chapter 7

**And the next chapter. Sorry for the lateness, but life happened. I am unsure if I will be able to post next week therefore I may post the next chapter a bit earlier, or really late. On the bright side this story now has Khalthar as a Beta Reader.**

**Wait disclaimer: Roses are red. Violets are blue. And I don't own Star Wars.**

Padmé was sitting in her favorite chair with a data pad. She sighed to herself as she skimmed through Senate proposals and other unimportant information. _I miss you Anakin_. With annoyance, she set her datapad down on a table and looked outside the large glass window at the sky. The night was unusually silent and peaceful. Her eyes searched the skyline for the invisible stars, where her husband was preoccupied. Unconsciously a hand began to rub her belly. _Come home Anakin. I'm pregnant. _A wave of nausea overcame her and she grasped the table. With great effort, she pushed herself back into a standing position.

"Threepio?" her quiet voice called out.

A golden protocol droid entered the room walking with a slight sway, "Yes Miss Padmé, how can I be of assistance?"

An involuntary smile crept up Padmé's face as she regarded her protocol droid. She could still remember the first time she had met Threepio, in a small adobe on Tatooine. _Those were happier times. Force, I beg you, please let my child be raised in peace._ Small tears began to slip down her face. _Anakin where are you? I need you._ Her hand closed around the japor snippet that hung around her neck. Somewhere in the distance, the unusual peace was disrupted by shouts and war cries. Padmé curled her lip in disgust. _War maniacs. _Someone knocked on the door.

"Oh my, who could be calling at this hour."

"Ignore them Threepio."

There was another knock. This time more forceful. Padmé looked at the door in worry and quietly headed to her bedroom to retrieve her blaster. She sat down on the couch staring at the door with the blaster in her firm hands. The knocks became more forceful. Then all was silent again.

The door Padmé fired. Out of the smoke walked General Grievous, with his multiple lightsabers lit. Behind the cyborg were the guards carrying their electro staff weapons along with a small unit of specialized droids. She narrowed her eyes and began to stand up firing. Her shots searing through various droids. One of the specialized droid raised its arm with and swung it at her. And fired.

_I hate the war Anakin. Please don't let my child die. _The bolt collided with her chest. _Remember Anakin, I will always love you. _The room began to spin and she was distantly aware of a metal hand touching her. Finally, sleep overtook her and a guttural voice laughed.

"_Please state your name," a distant voice asked._

_Padmé looked at the guard and her voice, sounding more refined than usual said, "Lady Vader, I trust there won't be a problem."_

"_No not at all your… highness."_

_Dream Padmé sneered at the man openly. Padmé though looked around in horror. Something felt wrong. The guard guided her into the building. _

"_Normal procedures states we would have to search you for weapons," he swallowed nervously and gave a small laugh, "I don't think that will be necessary."_

"_Indeed it won't. My husband would be very displeased if you were to search me."_

_The guard swallowed nervously again and let her inside. Padmé frowned to herself. Something was wrong. She was married to Anakin, not some man named Vader. Then there was her unusual attitude. She was alway courteous and kind, never so threatening or condescending. The dream version of her entered the dark gloomy building. The cold air washed over he and she could hear some moans of pain. She stopped in front of a door and it slid open silently. The room inside had a figure chained to the wall. A glass pane separated the prisoner from the visitor. Dream Padmé sat down on a chair and watched the prisoner with a cruel smile. Padmé started as she recognized the being chained to the wall. It was Yoda. The dream version of her began to speak quietly. _

"_It is a fitting punishment isn't it? You tried to destroy my husband, my family. So we destroyed your precious order and now you and the rest of the Jedi are resting within these little cells. My husband kills one of your kind every day. I look forward to the day he kills you."_

_Yoda gave no indication that he heard her or even could. He hung in silence from the wall. She sneered and left the room. The real Padmé could only look around in horror. the Jedi were her friends. She watched her imposter go to another cell. This time there was no glass wall isolating the prisoner. Her eyes widened in shock as she recognized Obi-Wan._

"_Obi-Wan," the imposter sang, "I want to talk to you."  
_

"_It is too bad then that I do not want to return the favor. You must pardon me for my manners, but torture does tend to do that."_

_With a harsh bite, "Were you worried about that when you were taking my children, my babies. They are dead because of you!"_

_Obi-Wan gazed at her sadly, "It was never my intention to kill your children. It was an accident."  
_

"_Right."_

"_Your husband is as much to blame as I am."_

"_You Jedi are always trying to shift the blame on someone else," she whispered icily and spit into Obi-Wan's face._

"_You are married to a Sith Lord."_

"_Can't fault me for that. I have plenty of power and the ability to extract revenge against those who upset me."_

_With a deep sadness, "What happened to you Padm_é?"

_Padmé was curious as well. She could never imagine herself acting like she was. It was horrid._

"_You betrayed me," with a victorious smile and pressed a button. Obi-Wan began to thrash. Padmé stared in horror, while the alternate insane version of her left the room. She began to walk down the hallway, when the temperature dropped a couple degrees. In front of her stood Anakin. Padmé looked at her husband in relief, but then she noticed the yellow eyes. The man in front of her was no longer Anakin. With a great burst of effort, Padmé ordered herself to wake up._

The first thing Padmé noticed, even before she opened her eyes was the coldness of her surroundings. Upon opening her eyes, she noticed she was in a cold white cell. While the original color may had once been white, the walls were smeared with various colors of substances Padmé did not want to know of. She closed her eyes as she remembered her dream. _Just a dream. Anakin would never turn to the darkside. Maybe he has an evil twin. Just a dream._ Her eyes opened again as she heard the door slide open.

With great vehemence, "Count Dooku. Is the war doing so badly you have to resort to kidnapping people?"

The count looked at her unfazed and smiled sinisterly, "No the war effort is going great. Maybe not for the Republic or Confederacy, but it is proceeding beautifully for the Sith."

Looking at the count she sneered back, "Well then it seems as if the Jedi are doing extremely well or else you wouldn't have kidnapped me."

"You aren't that important Senator," Dooku growled, "Perhaps you would like to join our cause, the Sith cause, because we will win."

Padmé stared at him incredulous, "You do know that I like Jedi? And that multiple of them are my friends?"

"Well I am sure w-"

Cutting him off rudely, "My answer is no and will always be no."

"Very well. I think you may change your mind soon," promised Count Dooku and left the room.

Padmé tugged at her hands, trying to free them from the binders. _I will not join the Sith._ Her binders stayed tightly on her wrists. Peeved, Padmé leaned against the wall, wishing she could cry. She wanted Anakin. It was such a basic desire, but she needed that stability. The tears began to flow as she leaned on the wall, burying her heads in her knees.

The air began to get warmer, but she didn't notice. A thump caused her to look away from her arms. On the floor were two females. One was an old woman, who remind Padmé of her deceased grandmother. The other woman was full of youth. Curiosity overcame her caution and she approached the two mysterious figures. The younger one was the first to wake up.

Small bright eyes looked around the room and settled on Padmé. Padmé shifted as the stranger looked at her with open curiosity. Satisfied with her inspection, she got up and walked over to the other person and shook her shoulder. Padmé smiled as she heard the grumblings of the stranger.

"I'm old. Age should allow me the benefit for sleep. I woke up early enough in the war when it was necessary."

"So you admit to being old. I think I am going to tell Luke."

To Padmé's greatest amusement, the elderly lady shot up. _Who's Luke?_ The elderly lady looked around the room frantically and then turned to the younger girl,

"Dea you are not telling Luke any of my secrets," she paused for dramatic effect, "Or else I will tell Luke who dyed all his clothes pink."

Padmé giggled slightly, her current predicament forgotten. It was rather obvious who must have had died the laundry pink.

Dea, Padmé assumed, turned to the elder her face crimson, "It was an accident! How was I supposed to know that my red socks would turn all our laundry pink?"

Padmé began to laugh audibly, unable to hide her amusement. Dea turned to look at her, "Who are you," looking around, "and where are we?"

The elderly person chuckled, "A prison cell Dea."

Padmé smiled, "I'm Dormé."

Dea shook her head, "You are lying. It is bad manners you know."

She sighed, "I am actually Padmé Amidala, former queen of Naboo and current Senator. Considering who I am, it isn't the wisest course of action to reveal my identity," she turned to the older woman, "Who are you, if I may ask?"

The woman smiled in a friendly open way, "I am Leia," a mischievous glint entered her eyes, "Former princess and Senator of Alderaan... Oh, I am also a former terrorist having the second highest bounty at the time. And as a young adult I was Chief of State. I was in following years, called back to that position due to the current Chief of State being incapacitated. Now days I am a Jedi consultant."

_That was a lot of past tense. How can she be a Jedi consultant though. I have never seen her before. _

Leia raised her eyebrows, "I'm old Padmé, can I call you that?" Padme nodded and Leia continued, "And for the entire not recognizing me bit, I am looking for my brother. He seems to have gotten displaced in time."

Dea piped in, "So we had to follow Master Luke through time."

Padmé nodded and then all of a sudden rounded on Leia, "How did you know what I was confused on?"

Leia rubbed the back of her neck, "I may have forgotten to mention that I am Force-sensitive. Occasionally I read people's minds by accident. My brother ia Jedi, though I chose not to become one," she paused and looked back at Padmé, "Why are you, as a pregnant woman, in a cell?"

Dea's eyes widened, "You're pregnant? Congratulation!"

Padmé's head shook vigorously, "You can't tell anyone!"

Leia noded in understanding and put her hand over Dea's mouth which was chattering nonstop. Noticing Leia's had silencing her, Dea calmed down. Padmé smiled relieved, "I am in a cell because General Grievous decided to kidnap me for some reason."

She had just finished her sentence when the door slid open. Members of the droid army stood waiting for them, "Come along."

The trio exited their cell with trepidation and walked in between the droids, who had balsters firmly pointed against their backs. They were soon joined by the Chancellor. _Leia doesn't like him._ She didn't know how she knew, but a feeling told her the truth. Her new companions were certainly a mystery.

Five snub fighters dropped out of hyperspace. The newest addition to their party had barely gotten a snub fighters, as three of the Jedi had bickered on the safety of allowing her to come with them because of her former allegiance. Luke had finally gotten fed up and calmly told everyone that they were wasting time.

Anakin Skywalker rubbed his head in embarrassment as he remembered the incident. Luke had a strange effect on him. In part, he reminded him of his mother in the way that the near stranger could make him feel remorseful. If Luke hadn't been from the past, Anakin would have sworn that Luke knew him personally. Luke had an instinctive way of knowing what would anger him or annoy him. He could easily calm him down, whereas his former master was never successful. He possessed this inner calm that made everyone respect him. If there was any Jedi Anakin wished to be like, it would be Luke.

The snub fighter rocked as a droid fired on him.

"Get your mind in the battle Anakin!" Obi-Wan called over the com.

"Yes Obi-Wan. I'm going in."

"That's suicide Anakin," Obi-Wan protested.

Luke's laughter came through the com, "He will be fine Obi-Wan. Asajj can you cover me?"

Without waiting for a reply, Luke dove into the nest of droids. Anakin was impressed. To his master annoyance he had always boasted about his flying abilities, but they didn't compare to Luke's. In the previous skirmish it hadn't been as apparent, but now Luke's true piloting skills were revealed. While Asajj covered him, he seemed to predict where she would fire and then turn in such a way that the droids shooting at him would be caught in her fire. As if that wasn't enough, Luke seemed to be moving the snub fighters in ways that even Anakin hadn't been aware of were possible.

Anakin dove into the mess, shooting at anything in his path. To his greatest amusement, all the droids were flying after Luke. It seemed that due to his reputation as an excellent pilot, the droids thought Luke was him. He swiftly dodged as multiple vulture droids began firing at him. Distantly he heard Obi-Wan shouting warnings and complaining. Anakin dodged their fire, but continued on his shield generator came up closer and he smiled grimly. _Come on. Come on. Just a little more._

"Artoo, boot the thrusters. We can outrun them. Just need more speed."

Artoo whistled worriedly.

"Just do it Artoo. Padmé is on that ship and I will make sure that she can get rescued."

Something clanged on the hull of the ship.

"Buzz droids Anakin" cried Obi-Wan in warning.

"Don't worry about me Obi-Wan."

"Doesn't make me feel better. _Someone_ has to worry. It is my job to worry about you."

Anakin didn't reply. He spun his spacecraft suddenly and shook loose a couple of buzz droids. Calling onto the force he threw off the remaining buzz droids. _Almost there._

"Anakin," yelled Obi-Wan in panic, "Incoming three 'o clock!"

_Too late now._ He remained on his course as more droids began to fire on him. One shot hit the stabilizers. He was beginning to panic now as his snub fighter began to wobble dangerously. Then he was there... and he fired.

The shield generator exploded. Anakin takes a deep breath as more droids raced to him.

"Artoo are the stabilizers working again?"

The droid whistled in the negative.

"Kriff!"

Artoo started whistling quickly in binary admonishing Anakin for his swearing. _Great. Even the droid complains when I swear._

"I'm sorry buddy this is the end." Ten more droids came in from his right. He let the controls go. There was nothing more that he could do. _I'm sorry for leaving you Padm_é._ I love you._

Leia Solo wanted to scream. She had forgiven her father for his crimes, not forgotten. A cyborg general was a little too close to Darth Vader for her taste. It brought back unfortunate memories of torture and anguish. Outside the space battle was going on. She could feel her brother piloting and the other three Jedi,as well as a darker Force-signature who was aiding the Jedi. She swallowed again. Her father was out there. If she were to face her father, she couldn't trust herself not to start crying or raving. He had hurt her so badly and despite the conversations she had held with her father's spirit, she remembered. It wasn't that she blamed him for his actions, but rather her mind didn't know how to cope with someone who had hurt her so badly.

"Who are you?" Palpatine asked having taken a seat. His hands were bound together, but Leia definitely was not buying his act. He was the other reason she wanted to scream. The emperor was evil. He had given Tarkin, who was greedy and power hungry, authorization over the Death Star, which had blown up her home planet. The battle station would have been in safer hands with Vader. On the other hand, Vader had dislike the Death Star and would have figured out a way to delay its construction to never. Or have it be accidentally blown up. Her father was surprisingly sneaky despite his brusque nature.

"Who are you?"

She glared at Palpatine, "A woman."

He frowned, "You do know I am the Supreme Chancellor?"

Leia snorted, "You are the _illegal _Supreme Chancellor. Your term expired a long time ago." 

"War call for drastic measures." 

"Yes," pausing, "like torture, bribery, culling of the innocent, and plotting. Lots of plotting."

She ignored the weird look she was getting from Padmé. It still confused her how come she had arrived in that woman's cell. On the other hand, she had found her brother. He was just busy.

"I guess you are one of the people who hate me for not calling for peace negotiations," Palpatine began, "There just are some people who can't be negotiated with."

Leia nodded, "I know perfectly well. My father fell into that category."

"Who was your father, if I may ask?"

Leia snorted and looked at Dea, before turning back to the emperor, "You may ask, but I may also not answer."

Perhaps, Leia reflected it wasn't such a brilliant idea to annoy the future emperor, but it was worth it. He could obviously not blow his cover as a kind man and had to hold in his anger. _I already annoyed him. Might as well go all the way._

Leia began speaking again, "You know Sith Lords are very stupid. I met one once. He wasn't very courteous. Well actually I met two," Palpatine briefly showed worry. _Afraid that I will recognize you? I already did. _"One was always lying by his teeth. Most people didn't know he was lying though. The other one was brutally honest or silent. I prefered the later. On the other hand he killed everyone who slighted him. Snapped their neck or strangled them. Not the greatest way to die."

Now Palpatine looked confused and less worried, "Who was he? Was he Darth Sidious?"

"No, no. Darth Sidious was the one who lied his teeth off," she said.

The fear returned to the emperor's eyes. _Be afraid. I know every little dirty secret of yours. Almost every. _Palpatine chuckled slightly, "I imagine Darth Sidious must be a chronic liar to gather so much support. But who is the other one? There are only two Sith at a given time and the other Sith Lord is Count Dooku."

"Dart Vader."

There was a flash of fear and confusion from Padmé and Leia frowned at the younger woman. It was puzzling as she should never have heard of Vader before. Palpatine relaxed again.

"Never heard of him."

Leia laughed at him, "Of course you haven't. He exists in the future. From what my brother tells me, the two Sith Lord battled each other and killed each other in the process. And that was the end of the Sith."

He frowned, deep in thought, "Is your brother by any chance Luke Spaceflyer?"

Dea cut in swiftly, "That would be him. Makes our job of finding him so much easier. On the other hand we would have met him soon enough, as he is in the space battle now, trying to rescue the esteemed senator."

"And who are you?"

"Why, I am his former Padawan. Now an official knight." 

"You seem a bit young to be a knight."

_Wrong thing to say Palpy. Dea should never be called young by anyone in her presence. With the exception of Luke, but he is the exception to nearly everything. Accidental time travel._

On the fringes of her mind Leia could feel a presence. It reminded her of someone, but she couldn't remember who. It was authoritative, but deeply in love. Her mind wandered to Han Solo who had died honorably in battle. In her grief, she had argued there was no such thing as an honorable death. There was no honor in war or battles or skirmishes. Fighting never brought honor, just sorrow. In the end she had consoled herself by saying he died honorably because he died for a cause. His death had saved many lives and despite his facade of egotism that was the way he had wanted to die. She smiled sadly. Han had been so good in the end. He had broken through her own facade and she had cracked his. The facade that had protected them from the worst of danger, had also been killing them. They had saved each other.

_Almost there._

The thought filtered into her mind from the outside. She was feeling someone, but the question was who. The connection had been incredibly easy, so she had to have known them. That basically left her father and Mace Windu. It didn't remind her though of Mace. Her eyes widened in realization, she was hearing her father.

_Too late now._

It sounded like her father was in trouble. He was in a battle after all. She wondered if she would do the galaxy a favor if she killed him. Her brother would her her if she did that and to her surprise she didn't want to kill her father. He was family despite his crimes. But would she help him and could she?

_Great. Even the droid complains when I swear._

It is a sad thing to realize you hardly know someone, Leia realized. It seemed as a youth Vader had a dirty mouth. But as Vader he never swore and hardly ever made a joke. His sarcasm was up to par with Leia's though. Even as a spirit form he hardly joked or swore. Had the emperor beaten Vader into submission. How much of him had been destroyed by the emperor?

_I'm sorry for leaving you Padm_é._ I love you._

The thought was filled with such sadness and remorse. Anakin Skywalker had loved Padmé. Briefly she wondered if it was the same Padmé, who was standing next to her. That would make _the_ Padmé Amidala, her childhood role model, her mother. She made her decision.

**That was fun to write. Thank you for all those reviews because whenever I read them my brain releases dopamine that makes me want to write. So thank you. Now I just need to make sure I also sleep. **


	8. Chapter 8

**Against all odds, this chapter has come out on time. Happy Easter!**

**The Easter Bunny decided to drop this story off in a glorified egg. Oh, there is a little note: Aminta you do not own Star Wars!**

**That's sweet, really. I knew that by the way.**

**Another note: I am replacing previous chapters, by their edited versions. I apologize in advance if this causes your inbox to be flooded. Do not feel like you have to reread the previous chapters, the only thing of importance that changed is R2 to Artoo. If you want to go ahead.**

General Grievous flexed his mechanical limbs as he warily watched the prisoners. A last minute change in plans had him kidnapping Senator Amidala… _I don't kidnap people._ To further his annoyance, they had two unexpected guests. Something about the younger female greatly disturbed him. There was an old saying among Force-users that one's eyes could deceive you. Looking at the diminutive girl, the saying rang in his ears._ Something is just off._ The elder woman was of course of no importance, although she possessed a sharp tongue. Her eyes demonstrated a deep wisdom. They pierced through him and in them he could see pain, great pain. She was old and frail, incapable of fighting, but her eyes showed that she was a warrior.

The chancellor was a different matter to Grievous. He felt as if he should know him and every time he spoke, he was struck by a great sense of deja-vu. Palpatine's voice was slick and smooth promising only lies. As he talked to the elderly woman and mocked her, Grievous narrowed his eyes. The woman seemed to be insinuating that the Chancellor was more than he seemed. That the man was taking advantage of the war to further his own agenda. _Dooku get your lazy but over here._ He found himself hating the Chancellor, and wishing for the elder lady to bring him down by a couple notches. She was someone he found himself respecting.

Her body posture changed. It was subtle and nearly unnoticeable if he hadn't been looking for it. It was a slight tensing in her muscles and a tilt of her head as if hearing someone from far away. Instinctually, Grievous also tensed.

First the magna guards went flying into the wall. Then he heard the hiss of a lightsaber igniting.

With a reaction speed that had felled many Jedi, Grievous' own lightsabers ignited. Then everything went dark, as the power was cut, the only light was emitted by the various lightsabers in use.

The Chancellor remained seated with his hands cuffed together. An opposing yellow lightsaber was held by the youngest female. The elderly woman stood by the control panels. _I need to remember that everyone can be a threat given incentive._ Grievous had never let fear rule him or direct his actions, but the strangers were of the kind that caused anomalies. So for the first time in his life he didn't confront his opponent, but sought an alternative solution.

The elderly woman hadn't expected it, for him to lunge at her. She still would have evaded his grasp, if it weren't for his extra limbs. She was beyond a doubt, Force-sensitive. He pressed her against his body, gripping her shoulder tightly. Her companion glared at him. He tightened his hold further and brought a lit lightsaber to her face threateningly.

His captive warned her friend, "Dea if you do anything stupid I will haunt you and tell everyone your embarrassing secrets."

Dea gulped, "Yes, please don't tell anyone, especially Luke about what I did to his cloak."

"Cloak?"

Grievous coughed, "While as endearing as it is to see you believing that your death is imminent, we will be playing on my terms. So drop the lightsaber."

Dea looked around and her eyes settled on the lightsaber at her friend's throat. She nodded and Grievous smirked in satisfaction as she dropped her lightsaber to the floor and kicked it over to him. An extra limb scooped the lightsaber off the ground, putting it in his collection.

"Now, Dea… it is Dea isn't? You will take off your cloak and put it down on the ground. Then you will lie down on the ground," he turned to the senator, "You too."

The ladies looked at him warily and complied. There was something intensely satisfying about having their compliance. He was in control and it was intoxicating. They were too weak with their idealism. They didn't understand that sacrifices had to be made to win a battle, to win a war. He smiled viciously; he could make the two ladies do whatever he wanted. Yet, he didn't want to. He could, but it brought a bitter taste to his mouth as he remembered his world's wars and subjugation. Instead of ordering them to do whatever he felt like; he grabbed two pairs of binders and bound Dea's hands behind her back. The second pair was used to bind her foot to the senator's foot.

The elderly woman was struggling in his hold. He could threaten her younger friend to earn her compliance or he could use a pair of binders on her too. He chose the latter option. With his service to the Separatists he had thousands of droids to his beck and call. He could slay every single Jedi, who had turned against his world. The Jedi were such hypocrites.

Standing in front of Dea he pointed at the elder woman, "Is she your master?"

"No," Dea rolled her eyes, "I am not a slave. If you are referring to a Jedi teacher, then the answer is also no. Leia isn't even a Jedi, she didn't want to be."

_Leia. An interesting name indeed. I wonder why she wouldn't join the Jedi, _"Where is your Master then?"

"Weren't you paying attention," she grumbled, "I am a knight. I have no Master. My former Master was Luke Spaceflyer. He is going to be absolutely livid when he comes in here; you know that."

A new voice interceded, "Interesting. A livid Jedi. Perhaps he will join our cause, if not he will die."

_You sure took your time getting here Dooku. Perhaps you can turn on the emergency power, so I don't have to use my lightsabers as flashlights? _Grievous looked at the Count and thrust his captive to him. Count Dooku stood still, confused by the action. Leia on the other hand decided to express her annoyance at her treatment and punched the Count right in the face. Startling himself Grievous laughed.

"I believe she doesn't like you."

Dooku growled and unleashed a stream of Force-lightning at her. Leia grunted, but otherwise showed no sign of pain, "Is that all you got Mister-I-am-too-rude-to-introduce-myself?"

_I think I like her. She has spirit._ Leia closed her eyes and a blast threw both Grievous and Dooku into the wall. She stood up and glared at Dooku. _You are an amazing little bird. Old warrior, I will not forget you._ As Dooku yelled in rage and Leia focused her attention on him, Grievous took out a yellow lightsaber. He silently approached Dea, who was enraptured by the fight and let it roll closer to her. Then he turned and left the room. _Thank you Leia. You have reminded me who I am. _Nobody noticed as he stepped into the lift. _I am a warrior and always will be. Warriors fight on the battlefield with clear enemies. My enemy is not you, you have done me no grievance. My grudge lies with the Jedi council for ordering the Jedi to act in the way they did. My loyalties lie with my people. No more shall innocent die on the battlefield by my hand. I will no longer attack. I will defend myself and my people. I love you Kummar. _

In the dark ship an old cyborg general crept around. He could hear voices in the distance, the Jedi no doubt trying to rescue their precious Chancellor. He stopped in realization as he remembered something. Ventress had been betrayed by Count Dooku. She was still out there. He would attempt to locate her. Stopping at an outlet he turned on the emergency power and downloaded all the military plans. He now held a bargaining chip, if he were to be caught.

Asajj Ventress flew afterwards Luke Spaceflyer. The man insisted he wasn't her Master, but she wished he was. He was entirely different from any Jedi that she had met. The droids flew around them in complex patterns, but ultimately failed in their complex dance. She and Luke flew together like a synchronized pair. There were no delusions though, Luke was synchronized to her. Half the time she didn't even know what she was going to do, but Luke knew. He never followed any rules, but seemed to adhere to his own. If he had been at her mercy, instead of the other way around, then she would have granted his life simply because he intrigued her.

She smirked as she remembered the argument about lending her a ship. It sufficed to say that Luke had a unique style of arguing. He has simply stared at the other Jedi and had asked them to explain their reasoning. Jedi, it seemed, weren't an infinite source of patience, especially Skywalker. She wondered how often Luke had been in arguments. He partly sounded as if he was arguing with a droid. Droids could be surprisingly stubborn.

Skywalker's fighter streaked across the windshield and Obi-Wan's voice crackled through the com, shouting at his former Padawan. There was a definite change that she could see in Skywalker. In the past he had been obnoxious and incredibly self centered. He still held those traits, but they were dampened and balanced out by his commitment. Luke was her primary suspect for the origin of the change.

Multiple droids were torn apart by her guns and Luke shot other blaster bolt at them. A soft presence brushed against her causing her to lose concentration momentarily. It seemed indecisive and worried. A deep sense of acceptance washed over her from Skywalker and belatedly she realized his predicament. The shield generator was out, but the droids were closing in on him.

Obi-Wan was yelling in the com and she could hear Luke swearing. To their immense surprise all the droids shut down, then the ship powered down. The sudden silence rang through her mind.

"Let's go in. If the ship is powered down, life support will fail soon. You okay Anakin?" queried Luke.

The reply was a bit shaken,, "I am fine."

Five snub fighters landed on the ship. Fortunately there was a regional power source that couldn't be manually shut down as it kept the pressure constant in the hangar. Asajj clambered out of her snub fighter. She wanted to taunt Skywalker for letting himself come so close to death, but Luke's worried expression stopped her. He walked up to Anakin and whispered something into his ear. _I am not jealous._ _He is just being Luke, but I am jealous. Skywalker has so many people that care about him and he accepted that he would die. He stopped fighting._

A hand touched her shoulder and Luke looked into her eyes, "The hardest part about death is that it never comes easy. I've seen so many people die. I've seen my students age in front of my eyes and die. I've seen the love of my life die in front of me. Remember though that they are still there in the Force waiting for you."

She nodded. There was such a deep longing in Luke's eyes that it made her want to weep for him. He was somehow ancient from what she understood, but a long life had many negatives. _Nerec is still there, watching me._ A tear began to trace a path down her face. _What have I done? You would be so disappointed at me for turning to the darkside._ _What have I done?_

"Master Luke," she called out, "Will you please train me?"

Luke seemed to wilt under her gaze, "Asajj I am not your Master. I had many students in my lifetime, but I said that Dea would be my last. She is a Knight now."

"Please… I need to make up for…"

Sighing, "Asajj I do not know what caused you to be driven to the darkside, but you do not need my help. It is a choice, a hard one, but it still is a choice."

"I want to make my Master proud."

"Master?"

It was Asajj turn to sigh and another small tear escaped, "He was teaching me to be a Jedi, but then he died in my arms and I swore to avenge him. He would be so disappointed."

Arms enveloped her. The memory was ancient, but she recognized it, a hug. Oh, she may have once sneered at people for showing such public displays of affection, but now she needed it. Tears leaked through her eyes as she remembered her Master's death.

Luke murmured softly to her, "It is okay. He would understand. It's okay. Let it out and allow yourself to grieve."

She smiled slightly and stood up, suddenly embarrassed. A soft grumble caught her attention and she turned around to look at the gawking Jedi. She could feel her face flushing and she cringed slightly. Her face closed off once more and she wiped the tears away. _Show no weakness._

"I think my father can help you more Asajj," Luke told her gently, "Perhaps you can meet him."

They crept along the dark corridors and Obi-Wan asked, "Does this feel like a trap to anyone else?"

Mace chuckled, "Would it matter Obi-Wan? I thought your plan was always to spring the trap."

Luke shook his head.

"Have something to say my friend," Mace asked.

"No, but always springing the trap? Talk about predictability."

Soft laughter echoed through the halls. Asajj didn't join in, but felt a small smile tugging on her lips. _I wish Luke would consent to train me._ Skywalker all of a sudden headed to the right and with a shrug of their shoulders the rest of the group followed. In the distance they could hear shouts.

"Bantha herder collecting bantha poodoo. What the kriff is that supposed to do."

"You schutta! Who do-"

"Varp you! How a… sleemo like you can-"

"I will enjoy to-"

"E chu ta!"

Next to Asajj, Luke cracked a smile and she noticed that Anakin was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face. The other two Jedi Masters stood in confusion.

Obi-Wan tempted fate and asked, "Anakin what does E chu ta mean?"

"Wouldn't want to spoil your innocent mind," Luke called out.

Various other creative insults, some that Asajj knew, and others she was entirely unfamiliar with filtered through the door. Shocked, she recognized Dooku's voice. The other voice was foreign to her.

Luke was shaking his head, "That sounds like my sister," four heads turned towards him, "Never upset her or try to beat her in a swearing match. She has a… most _extensive_ vocabulary."

"That's one way of stating it," Skywalker murmured.

Impatient and wishing to confront the man who had betrayed her, Asajj blasted the door open. Inside was the kidnapped Chancellor, with a shocked expression on his face. On the floor was Senator Amidala who wore a rather pained expression. Next to the Senator stood a young girl, who was watching the insult match happily. In the center of the room were Dooku and an elderly woman. The count sported multiple bruises on his face and was currently swinging a lightsaber at her in pure rage. With surprising nimbleness, considering her age, the woman weaved around the blade.

Luke mumbled annoyed under his breath, "Leia, when we discussed that one could defeat a Sith by making him super mad, I did _not_ mean that you were supposed to try it."

Despite the suicidal nature of Leia's plan, Asajj saw that it was actually working. Dooku's usually elegant and swift strokes were chaotic and disorganized. He slashed his blade to the left and then would bring it down in a powerful arc. The dark side flowed freely through him, but controlled the Count to such an extent there was nothing reasonable about his actions. His moves were that of trapped prey.

Leia stumbled. To Asajj it made no sense, she had been swift on her feet beforehand and there was no reason for her to suddenly lose her balance. Cold eyes landed on the Chancellor and his hands which had slightly moved. He seemed familiar to Asajj. Perhaps it was the way he held himself or the way his mouth curved. His sinister smile reminded her of someone. _I know you. Where do I know you from though? _Leia stumbled again. This time Asajj could see the definite movement of the Chancellor's hand.

"Darth Sidious!"

Her cry caused the other Jedi to snap out of shock. Unfortunately Darth Sidious realized that he was caught and eschewed being subtle. A powerful Force push, caused Leia to fall to the floor. Luke was running to her before she had even touched the ground. She watched in horror as Luke was almost next to her sister and Dooku went in for the kill. Her own two red blades sprung to life to protect the downed woman. She was too far away.

Luke in one last attempt called onto the Force and pushed. Dooku fell to the ground.

Asajj was next to him by now and she blocked the incoming attack from Sidious. As she protected Luke's back, she saw in her peripheral vision Skywalker and Obi-Wan engaging the Count. A purple blade stopped the red blade aimed for her neck. There was no time for hatred or prejudice, just trust. So Asajj trusted, not the Jedi, but instead she placed her trust in Luke and that he had placed his trust in her.

The flickering emergency lights cast the room in a dull glow. Within the chamber seven people fought, soon joined by an eighth blade. Purple fought with green taking the offensive. Two red blades and a yellow took defensive. In the background two blue blades twirled against the red blade. Every now and then, while the blue blades paused a blaster would fire at the Count.

Luke sided with Mace, who had the skills to keep pace with his fast speed. He threw himself in battle, trusting his body to his future Padawan and a former dark sider. His heart burned in righteous anger, at the man who had dared to hurt his sister. The one constant in his life. It smoldered beneath the surface like the embers within a log that a small breeze would cause the flames to spring to life.

Mace panted and sweat glistened across his body. Behind him was one former enemy and a stranger. Luke trusted them, but he couldn't even trust Luke. Luke who had lied, but was perhaps the greatest Jedi to ever live. Luke who had hidden the fact that Anakin would become a Sith Lord, but had opened the Jedi's eyes to their mistakes. Luke who was Luke and carried a burden that he did not know. Luke who loved and gave his trust freely, so he gave it in return. Trust for trust, at least until the battle was over.

She shifted and parried, besides her red lightsabers swung around. Dea didn't recognize the people in the room, except for Anakin Skywalker. It was in her opinion very creepy to see the living form of a man who wanders normally as a ghost. She was a Knight now though and put her discomfort aside. Jedi Knights stood proud of themselves and kept true to their beliefs. She had been taught by the greatest Jedi Master alive and she would make him proud. No crimes would ever be ignored by her. The lightsaber wielded by a Sith Lord slid down her own and nearly took her hand. The illusion she had held broke and a four foot Ewok stood there instead.

Asajj felt her heart beat faster as she moved in the battle among the best. Her skills were by far sub par, but she did all that was required. The man that attacked her and Luke had done so many unspeakable things. He was personally responsible for the lives lost in the dreadfully long war. She would help destroy him for her Maser, Nerec.

Anakin felt the lightsaber blade dart past his arm, singing his hair. Dark energies hummed around him, so like the time he had slaughtered the Tusken Raiders. He could call on them and defeat Dooku. Something stalled him. Perhaps it was his wife who was watching. Perhaps it was Obi-Wan next to him. Partly it was because of a blond man that fought with a green lightsaber. For whatever reason, he pushed the power deep down and ignored it.

Obi-Wan watched silently and attacked. His moves remained perfectly synchronized with Anakin's. As long as Anakin retained his logical functions, by not being goaded into doing irrational things, they would succeed.

Padmé scooted backwards and pressed herself against the wall as aerobatic movements caused lightsabers to swing into her comfort zone. An opening appeared and she fired. Her thoughts remained firmly on Anakin and their child. The child that would hopefully not grow up in war.

Two red lightsabers blocked another red one and shifted, pushing the lightsaber off.

A yellow blade blocked an overhead attack and countered.

The two red blades joined and formed a staff, that intercepted multiple strikes.

The green blade moved with the purple in opposite directions. Their opponent was wearing down quickly and everyone knew it.

The paired blue blades caught many strikes and began to sing in victory. Their opponent's guard was slipping.

Worried brown eyes watched the scene. In the middle lay an old woman, who hadn't moved. The only indications of life were the slow rise and fall of her chest. The young woman ran to the elder and tried to drag her to safety.

Lights flickered and grooves glittered in the flashing lights of the fight. One light went out as a red lightsaber pierced it. Space showed itself through the windows in its darkest form.

Two blue blades disabled a red lightsaber and Count Dooku fell to his knees.

Seeing his apprentice fall, Sidious destroyed all the lights and the room was sent in to darkness. The lights flickered back on.

"Where is Sidious?" Mace asked.

"He escaped," rasped Dooku who was sitting unarmed on the floor. Two lightsaber remained firmly in front of his throat.

Asajj looked around, "We probably should get out of here."

**Events are beginning to change drastically. Sidious has revealed himself and escaped, but Dooku is in custody. Once again Happy Easter. If you don't celebrate it, then have a happy Sunday reading fanfiction. By the way, silent readers sitting in the back, I know you exist.**


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter is late; I am aware that my page breaks went missing, I will fix that at some point in time… Anyway this was by far the hardest chapter to write and it is only due to Khalthar it got written.**

**Yes I have that much cash that I bought Star Wars from Disney when no one was looking. **_**NO,**_** I don't own Star Wars.**

_A young man stood silently by a tree with a small smile staring off into space. In the background a funeral pyre burned with a dark black suit. In the distance, only seen by him, stood his father next to two other Jedi. A young woman embraced him and led him back to the celebrations. His father, who he had never had the chance to get to know, was dead._

As a shuttle exited the battleship, Coruscant cried out in jubilant excitement. The end of the war was near. People streamed out of buildings and shouted in joy. The air was soon clogged with traversing speeders, as they raced to join friends in celebration or simply enjoy themselves. The Holonet was blaring the victory and the cantinas were overrun by joyful customers.

_Blood washed down the walls and Luke cradled his love. She had been so beautiful and accepting of him, a brilliant fencer. But Mara Jade had been felled by a Sith's blade. The cauterized wound taunted him and he sobbed heartbroken. There had been such an opportunity for life, for growth. They had wanted a family and sworn nothing could tear them apart, yet death had done just that. He wanted to die, to keep his promise, but tender arms kept him back._

Medical barges weaved through traffic to reach the injured that were being landed. Their sirens screamed, but the citizens paid them no mind. The battle had been won and now was the time to celebrate, not mourn. So the barges crawled through aerial traffic and for every second belated, death neared.

_A baby was crying and Luke cradled it gently, "He's so cute Leia."_

"_I know."_

_The baby opened his brown eyes and ceased his wailing. Luke made a silly face and the baby raised his arms happily, grabbing a fist load of hair. _

_Luke winced, "Strong little bugger he is."_

_Laughing Leia gently took the baby from him and began to feed him, "He will be a fine young man one day."_

Clones watched over their brothers worriedly as they waited for the medical barges. First aid kits were distributed through the forces, but they were low on rations. Angry eyes glared at the sky, as fireworks were sent off. The medical barges had yet to arrive and the first clone died in agony. There was a nagging feeling that told them, their brother hadn't needed to die if he had received medical assistance. Perhaps the end of the war nearing, lessoned their use. Did their commanders simply think of them as disposable?

_A stoic face viewed the recording, as his Padawan was mutilated before his eyes by a Sith. An ancient anger burned in his belly at his student's death. He could not understand how someone could revel in such pain. The Darkside was so very near and promised to allow him to avenge his Padawan, but the laughter of a young six year old child, stilled his mind. He would not cater himself to the Darkside and abandon his family. There was a young child waiting on him and he had a sister who loved him beyond death. Rick would be avenged, but not at the cost of his family._

"_I'm sorry Rick. One day I will join you. Wait for me."_

The Jedi in the temple sat still as they meditated. Through the Force they could feel lives slowly departing and others desperately clinging onto life. Some worried for their comrades, while others reveled in the joy surrounding the planet, driving the darkness away. But each one could feel something through the Force, it was big and unknown. So they held their breaths.

_There was no time to react and debris hurled through the air, killing the ten year old. He had never had the chance to live. A furious yell sounded through the air, as Han Solo charged forward to avenge his son. Leia, filled with equal fury, stood up and ignited her lightsaber to join her husband in the fight. A blaster bolt finally found its mark and Leia fell to the ground cradling her husband. Luke swallowed tightly, the fight had to end. Power burst from him that he didn't know he had, as he called upon the Force. There was no Lightside or Darkside, just a satisfying grey._

_Leia continued to cry for her love as Luke vanquished his enemies. Finished, he approached Leia, so he could give a semblance of comfort._

"_I'm not going to be a Jedi Luke," she whispered, "I will fight with words, where there is no death."_

"_Words can kill."_

"_Not directly or without warning. Why did he have to die? They killed a child, who had so much to live for."_

_Luke could give no reply as his heart shattered._

The medical barge arrived at the shuttle and an elderly woman was carried out. Her friends and allies also boarded the barge, as they watched over her. Happy cries in the distance mocked them. An old man was carried away in Force-repressing binders.

"_I'm not aging Leia."_

_The middle aged female looked at her much younger looking brother. Despite a few scars he was a carbon copy of the man who had burned his father's armor on Endor. She smiled sadly at him and Luke turned away._

"_All beings die Luke."_

"_I died a long time ago Leia. I died when my nephew died, when my love died, when my Padawan was murdered, when Han got shot, and when Chewie followed his friend."_

_She shook her head with sorrow, "No, you just need to live again," with sudden conviction, "Take another Padawan or student. You are an excellent teacher and the student will teach you in turn."_

"_For you," Luke promised. _

_The sadness that hung around him dissipated slightly and the following day he was busy teaching, unaware of anything, but his student._

The medical facility was alive with activity as droids rushed through the depressing white corridors to tend to their patients. In a small quiet room, seven people waited anxiously for the droids to finish their medical scans. Behind the glass wall, Leia slept quietly as droids hovered around taking blood samples and analyzing their data.

_Luke gazed into the fire, his face expressionless. Beside him others cried, but he couldn't find within him a single tear. Slowly he turned around, walking away. Everyone he had known in his youth was dead, with the exception of Leia. She was all he had left. _

Leia was his sister… his twin. At that moment in time, he knew that he would never be able to adequately express to her just how much she had come to mean to him. He had now seen far too many loved ones die. Some had died in battle, fighting against the odds, but others had died from the attritions of time. Children, grandchildren, and even great, great grandchildren had grown old and died, while he had not even aged. It wasn't something that he could help, and that tore at Luke's heart. He knew that he was getting close to breaking under the strain… and who wouldn't? Everyone he had ever known was now dead and gone while he was not. Everyone that is except one solitary individual who was stubbornly compassionate, and dauntlessly fearless in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, and he knew that he continued to live because of her… because of his sister… Leia.

"I need to speak with one of the patient's relatives regarding confidential information," said the droid approaching the party.

Dea turned around, looking at Luke briefly. She knew that he would not be able to handle any bad news at this moment.

"I am her granddaughter."

The droid seemed to eye her skeptically, "Would you be willing to consent to a DNA test to confirm your claim?"

_No,_ "Time is of the essence. Please tell us what is happening."

The droid stood still, processing the information. Under normal circumstances it would have never shared _any _sensitive information regarding a patient, but Dea grew worried as the droid gave no more protests.

"The patient's cell structure indicates that she is over a thousand years old. Has the patient suffered or perhaps undergone any medical procedures to explain this phenomenon? Humans rarely surpass one hundred and sixty years, and never are over two hundred years of age."

"She is almost three hundred years past one thousand," Dea informed the droid.

The droid shook slightly as it processed the data, "That is not possible; the patient's genetic information does not match up with the proper time period. In fact, the recorded mutations in the genome indicate that the patient would have been born at the earliest one hundred years ago."

The other occupants of the room, with the exception of Luke focused their attention on her in surprise. Mace was frowning slightly in sudden realization.

"You and Leia are from the future too?"

Dea nodded and turned to him, "How did you know that?"

Before Mace could reply, the droid interceded, "That information lies outside of my programming. ~Adjusting Programming to Allow for New Data Input~" it paused and stood still for a minute, "~Program Alteration Complete~ The patient is from the future."

She glared at the droid for wasting her time, a small noise startled her, and she turned around to look at Luke who had gotten up.

"I'm her twin brother," Luke said choking, "Please tell me about her condition."

Around the room, she could feel various eruptions of surprise at the statement.

"The patient is suffering from severe abrasion as well as multiple burns. There are various minor fractures in the skeletal structure produced by an unusual amount of blunt force impacts, as well as a serious injury to the spinal cord. The patient's heart rate remains unstable and is fluctuating as well as blood pressure. Furthermore the patient is suffering from shock due to the accumulated injuries."

She watched in morbid fascination, as her former Master's blood drained out of his face.

"Sir, I am registering a severe fluctuation in both your heart rate and blood pressure. Are you alright?"

_No, he isn't alright. But, he's not going to say so. That's his_ sister _in there laying on that bed!_ Dea looked at him worriedly and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He briskly shrugged it off and continued to solemnly stare at the droid.

"Will she make it?"

Dea felt her heart constrict and stared at the droid, who seemed rather flustered at the question, "Invasive operations have already begun. The patient should survive the procedure."

"Should?" Luke asked with a deadly calm.

"The likelihood is very small and almost infinitesimal, but death is never impossible because of the uncertainty principle."

Luke nodded a small smile on his face and sat back down. Looking at the elderly woman, who had assisted him so often in life, he couldn't help but smile. _Everything will be alright._

While Luke sat down, leaning against the wall with relief, Dea paced the floor. The room was silent in apprehension and she couldn't stand it. Through the glass she could see the droids beginning the operation and averted her eyes. Her sight once again was drawn to Luke and his prone figure. She worried for him.

He sat there totally vulnerable to outside forces and she prayed to the Force that Leia would be alright. That she would sit up and greet him with a smile. That she would be able to remind him that there was something for him to continue living for. She feared what would happen, if Leia's body were to remain cold and stiff, if it would cough, if it would collapse, if pain would surround it, if the spark of life went out and she died.

The droids operated quickly and efficiently and she could feel the powerful spark in the Force that represented her life-force growing. Luke who was also aware of this, seemed to sit up straighter, but his haunted eyes still tore through the room.

Then it was done.

Luke was the first to rush into the room and he immediately went over and kneeled beside Leia's bed, "Leia… Leia, I was so worried."

Dea walked awkwardly into the dark room watching Luke stare at Leia and comfort himself in the fact that she was still alive.

"Luke," she rasped her mouth twisting into a small but saddened smile, "Remember I love you."

Luke grasped her hands, "I know, but you'll be fine."

She coughed slightly and turned her head to get a better look at her brother, "I still remember the short Stormtrooper that burst into my cell on the Death Star."

Dea leaned on the wall, feeling out of place in the intimate moment. Curious stares burned in her back, at the mention of the Death Star. _You can ask, but I won't answer because I don't know. I wasn't even born then._

"You shoved me in the garbage chute. I never got over how weird it was that you kissed me."

She blinked in surprise at Luke's words. His sister had kissed him? That was beyond wrong on so many levels.

Leia seemed to agree as she grimaced, "Let's forget that, please? It's all Han's fault anyway, he was so…"

"Han."

Leia laughed slightly and it turned into a cough, "That's sums my husband up well," she paused, "Luke I feel so tired. I'm not going to make it," with a great sense of urgency, "Please stay strong for me."

Everything froze and Luke was already shaking his head in denial, "You can't go! You are all I have left," he was sobbing now, holding Leia's hand, "Please…"

Luke's grief ran through the room and the Force like a deadly plague. Dea's heart went out to him and his palpable emotions. Occasionally people would accuse him of being emotionless, but such things could never have been more wrong in comparison to now. He never _showed_ his emotions, except to the select few that he could welcome in his heart. She reflected; that such a long life was not the greatest thing to have ever happened. He had seen his friends die and there were rumors around the temple how his nephew and first Padawan had been killed in front of his eyes. The rumors had been exaggerated beyond reasonable proportions, but within every myth lay a grain of truth.

"Please Leia. You can fight, I know you can."

Her eyes bored into Luke's skull, "They are waiting for me."

Dea wondered who "they" was. Perhaps she meant her husband and her rumored son. Perhaps she meant her comrades. Perhaps there was someone else calling to her.

Leia continued softly, "We both knew this would happen."

"You'll be fine," Luke promised, clinging to his last hope, "We are going to travel the galaxy. You always wanted to show me that smuggling moon."

She smiled indulgently and Luke continued frantically, "We will take the Falcon and fix the hyperdrive. Of course Artoo and Threepio will need to come along-"

Someone was frowning and Dea could swear it was Anakin.

"We will stop by Yavin and Hoth. We could even visit Endor. Yes, remember the times when we thought we would die tomorrow while we ran from the Empire? We never died, although we came very close. It's going to be just like that, the time I spent next to you convinced that you were going to die and then we will be telling the others of this story. It will seem stupid and silly in hindsight, but right now… it's just scary."

"Oh, Luke."

Luke closed his eyes leaning his head on Leia's chest, "I'm scared Leia."

A comforting hand rested on his head, "Don't be. There is nothing to be afraid of."

Luke ignored her and leaned back in the chair, rocking himself as he cried unashamedly. Leia's weak arm tried to grab him, but he moved too strongly. He sobbed even harder into his knees, curling himself into a ball.

"I can't live without you," he cried desperately between his sobs, "I'm _never_ going to die. I _want_ to die. I want to see my loving wife and my friends. To see my father beyond his ghostly apparition. I want to see Yoda and Ben. I want to see Biggs, race with him through Beggar's canyon again. See Wedge and hear his silly jokes. I need to tell Aunt Beru and Uncle Owen that I love them. I have to apologize to them, for letting them die. But it will never happen, because _I. Can't. Die!"_

Leia watched her brother with increasing worry as his sobs increased. Finally she resorted to shouting, "Listen to me Luke Skywalker!"

The shout startled Luke enough that his sobs stopped, and Leia continued gently, "Whatever happens you will be strong. There is still father and he will still aid you. He will be there for you; he will _always_ be there for you! But promise me one thing," she paused with her eyes holding Luke's, "Take another Padawan. Teach Asajj Ventress to be the Jedi she wants to be… the Jedi she _needs_ to be."

Luke nodded mutely and they sat still in relative silence.

Luke had always preached to Dea the importance of accepting death, that it wasn't the end, but here in the medical facility, his own words of wisdom were forgotten. Perhaps, Dea pondered that he didn't have the comfort of his own death. _There is death, yet the Force. _That was the mantra of the Jedi code. The Force allowed for beings to reunite after a long journey away and so in every death one could take comfort that they would see their loved ones again when it came time. Luke would never have that option.

"Promise me," Leia whispered her hand slipping down to the bed, "Promise me…"

"I…" Luke choked on the words as he stared into the brown eyes, "I promise."

She smiled softly at him and closed her eyes, "Thank you... I... love… you… _brother…_"

The room was filled with silence as the old woman's chest ceased to rise and fall as breath and life left her body.

Dea could feel the shock, surprise, and confusion resonating through the Force. She knew that it was partly caused by Luke's name, and by the fact that Leia had just died even though she _shouldn't_ have. The grief that she could feel emanating from her former Master was physically painful in its intensity. But strangely, she felt something very similar coming from Asajj Ventress. Turning her head to look at the shaven headed woman with twelve tattooed stripes on the sides of her head, she could see tears of sympathy in that woman's eyes.

It took a few minutes, but droids began rushing in as they took blood and recorded body temperatures. Luke let them go around their work as he stared at his dead sister. The sister he had learned of only later in his life, but someone who he did not know how to live without.

_ Promise me…_

The droids whistled and buzzed around, as Luke stood still emotionless.

"It does not make sense. There is no understandable reason for the patient to have died," the droid paused and spun around to face the room, "Patient 3485 is dead for unexplainable reasons. With permission, the facility would like to perform an autopsy to understand and explain the cause of death."

"No," Luke said softly, "Her body will not be desecrated."

_Promise me._

He turned around and slowly walked to Asajj, giving a deep bow he asked, "Asajj Ventress do you consent to be my student?"

Asajj looked at him, sadly, obviously understanding his grief because there were large tears shining on her face as she gave her answer, "Yes, I do… Master."

"I in turn accept being your teacher and guide. I will guide you to the best of my abilities, so yours may be used for the betterment of the galaxy. This I promise you."

_I will keep my promise Leia._

Asajj nodded solemnly and graced him with a deep bow, "Thank you Master."

**Hopefully the line breaks went through…**

**And no, this isn't a late April Fools. I published my other story on April Fools and didn't realize it though. :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Star Wars belongs to Disney, not to me as I'm just a lowly writer. **

**I'm back and I apologize for taking so long with this chapter. Real life decided to show up (and it's still glaring at me). Well I hope you enjoy this chapter...**

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

Mace stood silently by the door, his hand hovering over the sensor. He could sense the grief rolling over him and he frowned slightly. Leia's death hadn't hit them very hard, as they hardly knew her, but Luke's grief which swept through the Force like a flash flood had caused them to leave the young man alone. They couldn't understand the relationship the young man had. _But he isn't a young man._

Luke's appearance of youth still puzzled the Jedi and hours of meditation had been spent searching through the Force for the reason. Perhaps it was the Jedi upbringing that caused them to be unable to empathize with the poor man, yet it left him completely at a loss. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he couldn't comprehend, but seeing Luke grieve made him feel almost wishful.

_I do not understand why I wish to grieve, it makes no sense. He is suffering solely because of his attachments._

A darker presence nearby caused him to turn around and watch Ventress approach. She stared wistfully at the medical room that Luke hadn't left since his sister's death. A sad smile adorned her face as she studied the door.

"He needs to grieve Windu."

Mace stared at her, not able to comprehend the full meaning of her words. _He isn't accomplishing anything moping around. How can one person justify this sort of attachment? Even a Padawan wouldn't grieve as much in the event that their Master dies._

"How can grieving such as this ever be justified?"

He felt a flash of anger from Asajj and looked at her in surprise as she tried to calm herself. Once again he felt as if there was an important component that he was missing.

Asajj let out a small sigh, "Jedi… he needs to grieve because she was important to him. They had a connection that he built his life around, _she_ supported him, _she_ was his sister, _she_ wasted away before his eyes, _she_ died in his arms, and _she_ was his _life_!"

"And if he had never formed such a strong attachment, he wouldn't be holed up in the medical facility," Mace retorted as confusion reared its ugly head. _She does not see the fault with attachments. Why is she..._

"And if he had no attachment, he wouldn't be who he is. Chances are he would have died a long time ago."

_But I can't understand, _"How can you defend him? He's breaking his promise to you."

A small feeling of hurt reached him, "Yes. He promised me; but I told him that I'm fine with him grieving first. It has only been a day."

"I'm going to go to him," Mace began as he raised his hand to palm the door open.

"No," Asajj cried grabbing his arm, "You are just being a stupid Jedi. Why can't you understand… or are you all emotionless droids?"

_No, I'm not a droid. I feel emotions, but I don't let those feelings rule me. They hinder my purpose. A droid is superior because it can never feel conflicted._

"I need answers, like why he lied to us."

He could feel the hatred rolling of Asajj fueling the Darkside in her. _Luke should have left you. There is no return from the Darkside. It is just another thing he lied about._ Palming the door, he let himself inside. Asajj silently followed him, her rage sweeping across him through the Force.

Luke was kneeling next to the bed Leia had died in, which lay bare. Sympathy twinged in Mace slightly as he regarded his fellow Jedi's form. His normally calm and passive face had tears running down it.

Mace awkwardly set his hand on Luke's shoulder, "We need to talk."

"Once there was a sister; twenty years I spent alone watching the stars, she in return saw them too, never knowing there was a brother waiting for her. The Force brought us together and we loved and hated, we quarreled and grieved. Where time brings others apart, we became closer," pausing as he turned to look at Mace in the eyes, "She was ostracized because of me, yet she was always there. There was so much pain that she could have avoided had she left me, but she didn't. While we watched others die and our hearts with them, she stood by my side, yet I never found time to do her justice. I never repaid her…"

Guilt flooded Mace and he couldn't deny that he was touched by Luke's confession, yet the confession did nothing to ease the questions in his mind. _Why did you lie?_ When he first heard of the Jedi out of his time, he had been suspicious, yet still he had considered him a friend. In a short period of time, Luke had found a place in his guarded heart. _Did you mean to betray me?_

Besides him Asajj moved closer to Luke, "Lu- Master, we can leave if you wish."

To Mace's surprise Luke shook his head, "No, you can stay. I think both of you have

some questions for me, and it's time that you got answers."

Asajj nodded slowly, "I would appreciate that Master."

Luke's face grim, stood up and turned to Mace, "And you?"

Mace cringed slightly, but looked Luke straight in the eye, "Why did you lie?"

Mace felt a flood of surprise from, Luke, _perhaps he hadn't been expecting that particular question._ Mace considered his question and wondered if he had been too blunt, yet he needed to know. _I detest lies, because of your lies, I don't trust you anymore. I no longer know what you even said is true._

"I didn't lie directly Mace. You interpreted my words incorrectly-"

Stepping closer to Luke, his hand falling to his lightsaber, "And your last name?"

"I…" he closed his eyes briefly, "I have lived for many years Mace. My last name, is no longer mine. It is a name, but that is all I see it as. There is no difference in my eyes between my last name that was given to me at birth to the one that I gave you. For many reasons I omitted saying I was a Skywalker, but I never gave it much thought. Even at home, I am rarely referred to as Skywalker. No, there I am just Luke."

The anger, like a small ember coming to life, grew in Mace, until he hardly recognized himself, "Do you mean to say that just because it matters from a certain point of view, all your lies are justified!" walking closer to Luke, "You just arrive here preaching goodness, but now that your lies are exposed, you defend yourself by saying it is our fault! Well what were we supposed to think? Are you even a Jedi, because there are no attachments that lead to goodness. Your sister, you should have never acknowledged that bond. Because of your stupidity, you are just moping around. I… I don't understand how you can justify her because she is obviously-"

"Don't drag my sister into this fray," Luke warned and steely blue eyes regarded Mace.

Belatedly, Mace realized that perhaps he had pushed Luke too much. The man in front of him could easily defeat him and he cautiously stepped back as Luke continued talking.

"I would apologize and be calm and be rational about this, but I can't. I _have_ been honest with you. If I had said I am from a thousand years in the future, no one would have believed me. You would have criticized my methods, saying it makes no sense. Perhaps you would have even ostracized me and called me a Sith… Therefore I said nothing, I let my actions speak for me. You never trusted my words, but you trusted my actions. How is it different now?"

Asajj stepped forward and stood in between her master and Mace, "It's because he is a

Jedi, Master. They all are barvs, who don't care for anything outside of their perfect world because they can't accept that the galaxy isn't perfect and therefore ignore it."

Mace found himself bristling at her comment, but didn't interrupt. Her accusation was off. He knew that the galaxy wasn't perfect. Corruption was everywhere, but the Jedi helped curb it. _But you don't want to face the problems. She's right, you just don't want to admit it. _Sometimes Mace found himself hating the source of intelligence.

"Master," Asajj began staring at Luke critically, "how can you be related to Skywalker?"

He listened carefully, as Luke began to explain, "I do not know the same Anakin Skywalker you know. You know that I'm from the future, but not how far. I am to be born soon, and yet history has changed. It no longer follows the path that it used to take and I'm glad, yet I worry. There is the possibility that I have changed history for the worst. Leia," a small wistful smile adorned his lips as his eyes landed on the bed again, "Leia… she would say that nothing could be worse."

"Is the future that bad?" and Mace blinked in surprise, as he noticed his own shocked words.

Luke stared at him, "It is neither terrible nor great. I have lived for a very long time and I have seen the height of sentient's compassion, but also their desire for power. Everything hangs in balance."

_The prophecy of the chosen one._

Unaware of Mace's realization, Luke continued, "Leia watched her home planet be destroyed in front of her eyes and that is-," a pained look crossed his face as he caught himself, "was… one of her worst memories. It was no natural destruction either. Alderaan's destruction was intentional and that is part of the reason Leia had such a hard time reconciling with our father. Anakin Skywalker was my father, but as Obi-Wan would say later, by the time I met him, he was more machine than man. Of course I still tried to save him, despite the fact that in our meeting before that, he was the one to cut off my hand."

Luke trailed off into silence as he clenched his hands together and Mace watched in morbid fascination. _How could Anakin have done that? How could he have turned to the Darkside?_

Asajj looked at Luke oddly, "But that would make Skywalker a Sith Lord!" she exclaimed in bewilderment.

"That's what's been bugging me lately. I do not understand how Anakin, the Chosen One could be a Sith Lord. It makes no sense," said Mace.

"He is stupid and may be reckless, but he has this stupid moral system," Asajj continued in confusion.

"I know Anakin broke the code, but why would he turn to the Sith? They don't allow attachments either."

"It's not like the Sith could offer him anything… and he lacks the hatred to be a Sith."

An ominous hissing sound stopped their rebuttals and Mace tensed as he felt a very dark presence washing over him. His instincts pleaded with him to run, but his battle honed instincts told him to face the danger. Wrestling with the conflicting urges, his eyes reached Luke, who was looking at the dark presence behind him with an amused smirk.

"Someone is in a good mood, Father."

Annoyance flared through Mace, "Skywalker if this is a prank, I will steal all your socks and hide them in the farthest corners of the galaxy."

He slowly turned around to confront Skywalker and stared into a cold black mask, "Really Windu? My socks? There are better forms of vengeance, like coloring all my clothes pink."

The deep baritone voice caused chills to run down his spine and Mace stepped back fearfully. The Force-presence was similar to Skywalker's yet radically different and much darker. His hand twitched as if to draw his lightsaber and he shifted his weight from foot to foot, as his body prepared for flight.

"Dad," Luke said with a long suffered sigh, "I don't know how you are here, but you really aren't helping and you're terrifying my new Padawan, which is very counter productive."

The masked apparition walked over to Luke, as if inspecting him, before turning to Asajj, "You can't take _her_ as an apprentice! She's annoying."

"And you aren't?" Luke retorted.

Mace, having recovered from shock ignited his lightsaber, "Who are you?"

"I thought you knew," mocked the masked man, "I'm your favorite Jedi, Anakin Skywalker," he paused purposefully, "You should have seen the expression on your face… It was hilarious."

Mace glared at the fraud and shifted his lightsaber in front of him, "I think I know who Skywalker is," and attacked.

A red lightsaber intercepted his strike and they began to duel. Next to him Luke shouted out loud, but the duelists ignored him with practiced ease. Anger burned in him and the duel became the outlet. Part of Mace felt ashamed, yet he could only withstand so much confusion, before he had to vent. Fighting was always dangerous; the possibility of falling to the Darkside near, but it also existed as an escape. The moves of combat reassured him, as he fell into the intricate dance. To his dismay, a green lightsaber swept between the opponents.

"Mace," Luke turned his head, "Father... You are acting like younglings," he turned back to Mace, "Technically, he is Anakin, but he's from the future," glaring at the masked man again, "I don't know what he is doing here _and_ dressed like Vader," Luke added in a questioning tone.

Both of them stepped back, retracting their lightsabers, then Luke's father was gone.

"What was that?" Asajj whispered, as she regarded the spot where Vader had disappeared.

Luke grumbled slightly, "The dead sometimes like to come back to the land of the living and play, but they require a strong reason to do so. There… In the future, there are days of the year where we seek their aid and advice. While a beneficial learning experience…"

Mace nodded, "Does that mean Leia will come back?"

Luke shook his head, "I don't want her to, she deserves peace… Death, yet the Force."

Mace nodded and hung his lightsaber back on his belt. _That's the old code._ He had many things to think about, yet he had been wrong about confronting Luke. Luke may have the answers, but he was not prepared to learn them. _Like Asajj said, I ignore the problems. _He remembered Luke's question, asking him for his reason to be a Jedi. _I do not know myself._ _When I can understand myself and answer why I am a Jedi with a real reason, then I can ask Luke._ He looked at Luke again and inclined his head.

"I am sorry, and I hope you will still allow me the honor of calling you my friend. I'm sorry," he turned to Asajj and looked at her closely, "You have given me many things to think about and I should have listened to you earlier about leaving Luke to grieve, for that I extend my sincerest apologies."

Asajj stared at him coldly, "Realizing how blind you are?"

Luke looked at his Padawan oddly and inclined his head, "I accept your apology, my friend."

Mace smiled slightly and left the room. _I need to talk to Yoda._

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

Luke watched Mace leave and then turned to his apprentice, "He was right you know? I need to stop grieving. I promised... Leia I would be strong, and so I shall be."

Asajj stared at him oddly, "Everyone needs time to grieve."

"Yet my dear, time is something that flies by too fast. I've wasted time before and know too well the consequences of such an act."

Asajj was staring off into distant space, "That may be true, but never grieving is worse."

Luke walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder and looked in her eyes, "I do not know what pain you have suffered, nor do I wish to coerce you into telling me, but know that I am there for you. I've broken many promises, although never intentional, yet I intend to keep my sister's last promise. If you so wish, you can meet me tomorrow in the Room of a Thousand Fountains to begin your training."

She nodded happily, and happiness filled Luke, but then she looked at the floor sadly again, "You shouldn't feel it is necessary to train me."

Luke looked at her in surprise. _She doubts herself, but why?_

"Asajj," Luke said slowly, "I will train you, like I have trained many others. Perhaps I may find it necessary, but it is because I want to, because I must heal, because _you_ must heal. You aren't a burden and should never feel as such. It will be an honor to train you."

Asajj nodded and there was a gleam of gratitude in her eyes. She bowed slightly and slowly walked out of the room, her Force-presence slightly brighter than normal.

Sighing Luke walked back to the bed and glanced at it, before sitting down, "I know you're there father."

The ghostly apparition of Anakin Skywalker, without the dark armor, appeared with an amused smirk, "Yes son?"

Luke scowled briefly and his mind wandered back to Leia, "How is she?"

There was no question who Luke was referring to, "At peace."

Relief surged through Luke and he closed his eyes in happiness. _I haven't failed completely. _

His father shifted forward, with concern on his face, "Luke there is so much for you to do, you can rejoice… You have a gift, a skill and it would be a shame to waste it."

Luke didn't respond as he studied his real hand carefully. Calluses covered his fingers and old scars riddled it. In comparison, his artificial hand was smooth and structured, small signs of wear, yet the strong artificial skin prevented any tears.

"Father, I just want peace," he looked up sadly, "I miss her you know."

His father shuffled, his form shimmering. He looked at Luke with sadness in his eyes and wore a slight frown.

"I don't know what I can do son."

Luke gave him a small tight smile and looked back down at his hands, "How are the others? And why were you dressed as Vader?"

"Umm…" Anakin began, while his son raised an eyebrow, "Yoda was laughing the last time I checked, and Obi-Wan was arguing with Qui-Gon."

Luke looked at his father with an eyebrow raised.

His father gave a slight groan, "I lost a bet with Yoda. He thought it would be hilarious for me to appear as Vader..." he trailed off and a small smile adorned his face, "I have to admit that he was right, Mace's expression was priceless."

_He's right. Mace's expression was hilarious._ All of a sudden the dark dreary feeling that had been hanging around him began to diminish. _I have the ability to change events. I can save people._ Luke stood up and smiled at his father, he was done moping, and it was time to fulfill his promise to Leia. He would do, what she would have wanted him to do. He would be strong for her and continue to live. It was not time for rest yet.

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

**Right now Luke is getting over Leia's death, so things are going to go a little bit slower. Thank you for all the reviews. I'm very surprised and sorry that so many people cried. Hopefully that will be the last tear jerker. **

"**Anakin… Will you tell me what you were doing by sneaking into my story?"**

**Anakin appears and looks around worriedly, "Ummm… I was bored?"**

**Anakin cowers from the death glare he is receiving from the author. The author leaves shaking her head tiredly.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm so sorry for not updating in forever. Please forgive me? Please with a cherry on top? **

**I think watching Lord of the Rings inspired me a bit.**

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

Palpatine, now known as Darth Sidious to the galaxy, scowled as he looked out of the viewport to watch the passage of hyperspace. All of his plans, ruined by a single person.

_Luke Spaceflyer._

Sidious roared in anger and hit the wall. The Jedi would pay for their grievances against him, especially Spaceflyer. He would tear the Jedi's limbs from his body one by one. Every person that knew the insolent Spaceflyer would die.

_Yes, they will all die and I'll be triumphant. I will conquer the galaxy and they'll sacrifice everything to me to make their terror stop. Nothing holds me back now, and you, Spaceflyer will pay._

Darth Sidious pulled out a comm and gazed back out the glass. He would build an army, turn the Separatists weak and bumbling army into a true killing machine. With them he would ravage the galaxy and destroy anyone in his path. It would be a simple matter to better equip them. After his apprentice's treacherous betrayal, he would need to alter the power structure, find a new front and he knew just the man for the job: General Grievous.

The cyborg would be most useful in his plans and he also was capable enough. Grievous would thank him for putting him in charge and be susceptible to his manipulations. Afterwards he would speak with the other separatists members and a quiet assassination would take care of the ones who promised to be troublesome.

_I guess there is one good thing that comes out of this, the construction of the Death Star can be sped up._ A malicious grin crossed his face, the technology wasn't completely ready in terms of how to focus the laser, but for testing purposes they had built numerous lasers, which were all extremely destructive. A simple cruise ship could be modified to support one of them, and then… Sidious chuckled, _the Republic will rue this day._

The ship dropped out of hyperspace, circling a familiar planet, one that had ruined plans and brought others to fruition. Slowly he guided the ship down, landing in Tatooine's desert wasteland. Stepping of his ship, Sidious scowled again. He was starting to understand why Skywalker detested this planet. There was sand… _everywhere_.

His red lightsaber ignited and he closed his eyes. _Where are you? Where are you… Ah, there!_

A speeder was moving forward and Sidious stood in the sun, his black robes swirling around him. He finally released his dark Force-presence, letting it storm out of his body, finally free after being restrained for so long. He no longer cared about detection, _no,_ he only cared about the annihilation of the Jedi.

The family sitting in the speeder seemed to notice the sudden coldness in the air, on the usually warm planet and began to slow down. Sidious waited in anticipation, with his lightsaber besides him. _I will enjoy this. Skywalker, you have not escaped me yet…_

He laughed as he felled the Lars family and their blood soaked the thirsty ground of Tatooine. _Perhaps I should take a souvenir._

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

Anakin Skywalker woke up gasping for air as he felt the cries of pain through the Force. Someone had died and his mind landed on Padmé. Grabbing a cloak he ran out of his accommodations, he had to find his wife.

Elsewhere Luke woke up, the same cries of pain reaching his ears. Sadly, he walked to the window, staring out into the Corruscant night skies. _Sidious is on the move. _Grabbing his own cloak, he exited his chamber, he had to speak with the council. Trouble was brewing.

Asajj Ventress looked on from the shadows as her Master left his room in a hurry and decided to follow him. Something was happening and she did not plan on being left out of the loop.

In his prison Count Dooku lifted his head in interest. He was still a dark sider and with its benefits came the ability to sense the presence of the darkside. Something momentous was happening and he wondered if he had chosen the wrong time to defect, but immediately cleared such notion out of his head. Whatever would happen, it was best that he was no where near his former Master. Sidious did not care for him or for anyone, only for power. Sighing he leaned back against a wall, the Jedi were sure to come, and with them there would be questions. It was best to be prepared.

Yoda came out of his meditations, watching Luke out the corner of his eyes, "Call the council I will. Questions have arisen as new answers are found and it is only a matter of time before everything else crumbles."

Padmé winced as the baby kicked, apparently distressed. A sense of urgency enveloped her and she rushed off to the Jedi Temple, something was wrong. Another kick caused her to hurry, even the baby seemed to know that something was wrong. She had to hurry.

The Force stirred briefly as it watched. No, it was not happy, but as long as Sidious did not start blowing up planets the worst could still be prevented. On the other hand, he seemed very keen to build his monstrosity. The Force could do nothing, but watch and trust its chosen. It really hoped that the foolish mortals wouldn't mess up again.

Mace Windu groaned as his comm went off indicating that a council meeting was being held. He really hoped that one day he would actually be able to sleep in. _Whoever that bastard that interrupts my sleep is, will pay. _Putting his personal grudge aside, Mace grabbed his lightsaber and boots before heading out the door. _There better be a good reason for a meeting in the middle of the night._

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

Sidious roared in fury as he regarded the message he had received from Grievous.

_**Lord Sidious,**_

_**I no longer believe that an alliance between us is beneficial. You are a coward and it disgusts me that I ever associated with you. Find yourself some other pawns.**_

_Grievous will also pay for this insult, but it doesn't matter, We will manage, although it may be a bit more difficult._ Sidious composed himself and turned towards the door, in a couple minutes the Separatist leaders would be streaming in, demanding answers. He found himself not looking forward to it.

The meeting began, rather predictably, "I don't believe you are Darth Sidious."

Sidious rolled his eyes in irritation and stood up, electricity running along his fingers, "Really, what proof do you need?" 

"You're the Chancellor!" someone shouted.

Sidious unleashed a blast of Force-lightning, "Yes I was, where do you think all your precious information came from?"

Sneering, on of the officials stood up, "Well then what do you need us for?"

"Silence," Sidious shouted blasting him with lightening, "I have a plan, but it must be carried out exactly. Circumstance has outed me as the Chancellor, but there is still the opportunity to bring down the Republic. Already your droid factories are working at maximum production… With sheer numbers we can subdue these Jedi, but we have been going about it wrong."

"But… um my Lord…"

"Yes go on," Sidious said, waving his hand, secretly pleased at being addressed in a respectful manner.

"The Jedi continually take down our droids, one Jedi is worth hundreds of droids."

"And that is why we've been going about it wrongly. The Jedi are weak… sentimental. It'll be easy to trap them, ensnare them.. and then I can work my magic. I'll turn these weak, self-righteous fools into tools of the dark side and they'll fall as they starve, as their so called friends turn on them. It is just a matter of time."

"What of the Hero of No Fear?" 

"Skywalker," Sidious hissed, "I want him captured, he'll be the strongest, the most useful and it can be such a simple thing. Already he walks on a thin line, and I know the tool that'll push him over the edge. Padmé Amidala is married… to _Skywalker!_" Sidious let out a low chuckle and those around him laughed.

"So we kill the wench."

Sidious shook his head, "No, then Skywalker will turn on us and with his power it'll be hard to fight against his undiluted hate. No, we take his wife. Take her and Skywalker will eat out of our hands, no better than a slave."

The room was quiet as they understood the plan and malicious grins crossed their faces as they thought of how life was finally looking bright. Quietly they murmured among each other, talking about viable solutions for their problems. It would be no easy thing to kidnap such an influential senator and her husband was sure to be watching.

To the side, not participating in the discussion Sidious watched. He mourned his original plan, the brilliance of it had been astounding allowing him to take control of the galaxy in the easiest way possible. It had required subtle maneuvering and he had enjoyed it while it had lasted. He felt it was a game of skills and he relished the challenge. Now, he was playing a new game, one that he had never wished to play. Running into battle was the surest way to get killed and death was one fate that he rejected. He would not die. Death was the end and would vanquish him from the universe forever. _No, I cannot die._ The new game, as inexperienced as he may be, offered a challenge. There was an opportunity to do something that had never been done before. _And Skywalker will still be my apprentice. The chosen one, a Sith Lord._ He chuckled quietly to himself.

"Excuse me my Lord," began one of the Separatists, "We have a plan to kidnap the Senator."

"Do go on," he instructed.

"Well, we know that Boba Fett, while now one of the newest players on the field is extremely talented. He also hates the Jedi and we think that this job matches his expertise."

"Good," Sidious poured, "contact him at once."

"Yes my lord," he said and left the room.

Sidious returned to the remaining audience, "How goes the Death Star."

"We've built another laser that should be easier to focus and have begun installing it."

The Sith Lord stroked his chin and looked at them contemplatively, "We still have the old lasers correct?"

"Yes, my lord."

"Very well… I want you to secure a passenger ship and modify it to support the lasers. It must appear harmless."

"My Lord, what is it that you hope to accomplish with his?"

"Why," Sidious began, "the annihilation of the Republic. Those lasers can destroy ships, perhaps not planets, but certainly cities. Imagine it… A normal day and a normal ship drops by and then everything is gone, burned to the ground. the first place I'd like to target is the Jedi Temple and take out those pesky nuisances."

The separatist smiled, resembling a rabid pack of animals, "We'll get to that right away, is there anything else?" 

Sidious turned around, "Actually there is one more thing… General Grievous and Count Dooku have defected. I want both of them _dead_."

"It'll be ensured, my lord."

Sidious watched as they left the room. There was so much for him to do. He had to make plans and ensure that there would be no more surprises in store, at least not for him. The Jedi were in for plenty of surprises. He doubted that he could activate General Order Sixty-six, which was a real shame, but there were other things he could do.

He began by pulling out all of his Republic credits and closing all his companies, as well as ordering the few mercenaries who he had on call to burn down most major companies.

Around the galaxy, long range transmission towers were destroyed and the general public was subject to their services being cut. The backup generators were in many cases too late to save certain pieces of hardware or other things hanging in critical balance. Explosions rocked the galaxy and the citizens were left wondering what was happening with no way to call for aid.

During the whole ordeal, Sidious laughed in ecstasy as he watched his plan begin to unfold. _Perhaps playing from the sidelines wasn't my greatest idea because this is so much fun._

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

Padmé ran into the council room, and immediately let out a sigh of relief as she spotted her husband. Anakin too seemed relieved by her presence, as he ran over to her and kissed her, right in front of the disapproving council.

"What happened Ani?"

Anakin looked her into the eyes and then down at the ground, "I don't know… I woke up and I felt screaming through the Force. I was afraid that was you."

"Oh Ani," she murmured, as she embraced him.

A humpf from Yoda interrupted them, "Much to discuss there is, but Sidious on the move he is. Time to delay, we do not have."

"Of course Master," Anakin said, bowing down.

Yoda nodded and turned to Luke, who was gazing out the window, "Guesses have you at the source of the disturbance?"

"Luke turned back to the council, "I believe Dooku may have an idea, but whoever screamed is dead. Corruscant is in danger, but from what I cannot tell. Something is going to happen, something is going to happen to the galaxy. I believe someone should check with the clones and make sure there is no weakness to be exploited there. And…"

Padmé noticed with interest, how Luke hesitated as if there was something more troublesome, "Luke what is it?"

He looked at her, a strange smile on his face, "You may be in danger Padmé and Corruscant is no longer safe."

Anger flared within her. _Is he trying to tell me to run away like a coward,_ "I'm not running away. I need to be here, now more than ever."

Luke shook his head, "You're pregnant Padmé and it's only a matter of time before your children come. They'll be strong in the Force and Sidious will be eager to get his hands on them… I beg you Padmé to think about your safety and that of your children. Besides you won't be leaving alone, the Temple needs to be evacuated."

The last statement was greeted by a chorus of, "What!" around the room.

"It's only a matter of time until Sidious tries to attack Corruscant and namely the temple. Right now he is _kriffing _mad and that means he's going to be taking out his anger on _everyone_. He still wants to rule the galaxy and destroy the Jedi. The Jedi are defenders of the galaxy and what an easier way to accomplish two goals with one move than by destroying the temple. If the younglings are still here then they'll be dead and we'll be hard pressed to sustain future generations of Jedi."

Padmé digested what Luke was saying and surveyed the council, "He's right, but it would be a bad idea to transport all the younglings to the same place and it can't be any planet which is… well colonized. It'll attract too much notice."

Mace nodded and Padmé could see her words taking effect, "She's right. I suggest we send all the wounded Jedi to watch the younglings along with the elderly and the healer. The locations where we send the younglings must be only known to ourselves."

Luke smiled, "We'll also need another base of operations, I'd suggest an asteroid field simply because it's difficult for a non-Force user to maneuver there. Also, a friend of mine once flew into an asteroid field to escape a Star Destroyer."

"Star Destroyer?" Padmé asked.

"Uh… a giant ship which… well long ago for me, but the near future for you or what once was the near future, there were enormous ships whose main purpose was the transportation of troops and intimidation although they had quite a lot of firepower come to think of it."

Yoda stood up and hobbled over to Padmé, "Go with the youngest you should. Mother them and your own. Teach them all."

"I will Master Yoda," she promised.

"Good," murmured Yoda staring out the window, "wasting time we are and right Luke is. Soon, very soon Sidious will strike. Now evacuation must start, later not."

The other Jedi nodded, "But where do we send them?"

This time Luke answered, "Every member of the council should take a group of younglings, that includes you Anakin. You'll take Padmé with you… Each Jedi Master will choose a planet that they think is safest and tell one other member on the council. If anything were to happen to one of us, Force forbid, then at least the majority of the younglings should be safe."

Padmé along with the others nodded and Anakin's hand slipped into her own, "Let's go. We have work to do."

"Ani?"

"Yes?"

"Can we not have all babies... perhaps a variety?"

Anakin gave her a small rare smile, "That sounds excellent," and then he kissed her.

Padmé closed her eyes, enjoying their brief opportunity of fun. _Anakin I love you._ She smiled at him and together they walked out of the council chamber, even without the Force she could feel the clock ticking against them. Something was going to happen and she was afraid. As she entered the crèches, she gently woke the children.

Rubbing his eyes, one boy looked at her, "What's wrong?" 

"Yoda's authorized a little field trip for us and you get to come with me," she whispered.

The name Yoda seemed to have a magical effect, as the children woke and in hurried excitement prepared to leave. When Mace Windu raced in to grab his own batch of children he gave her a slight glare and she sheepishly glanced at the ground.

Explaining, "I mentioned Yoda."

Mace shook his head, "Who wants to come with me then?"

The children laughed and screamed in excitement, some racing to Padmé others to Mace. Looking at the cute children, Padmé's heart constricted. _Soon I'll have my own. Luke or Leia. Although, perhaps I should talk to Luke about changing the name._

The children next to her squealed in excitement and raced around her as she ushered them to a ship. Anakin's own group of children met them there.

People who were looking at the Jedi Temple, noticed with curiosity the stream of ships leaving. For some it was a sign and they rushed to the spaceport, hurrying to get off planet. Others spat on the ground, thinking the Jedi were fleeing. The Holonet was broadcasting emergency transmission and among them were ones warning people and telling them to be aware of the potential for trouble. For those who did not listen, they regretted their actions when Corruscant for the first time in thousands of years went dark.

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

**Hehe… I am going to be writing fanfiction as often as I can to make up for my long delay.**

**Please leave a review as they are fuel for my brain.**


	12. Chapter 12

***Cough* *Cough* **

**Eh, hello again. I've decided my muse hates Fall, it disappeared last year too. Now for my epic come back, which isn't that epic. Since I was gone for so long I decided to give you something short and post it now instead of making it part of the next chapter. Hopefully the next chapter comes sooner (like Sunday perhaps). I have high hopes as the chapter is just sitting in my head yelling "Write me!" May the Force be with my muse.**

**I realized I forgot the disclaimer, so Disney do not send the mysterious Knights of Ren after me for forgetting to remind my wonderful readers that Star Wars belongs to you.**

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

It had started off as a normal day. He woke up, kissed his wife and brought his kids to school. It had been a boring day at work. He drank two cups of caf and had spent his day testing software. Unfortunately, nothing went wrong so he had to content himself with being bored, very bored. It was night by the time he prepared to head home, not that it actually was dark. Coruscant continued to be bright for its entire rotation.

He blinked and the light beside him went dark and he slowed.

An ocean of darkness descended before him. Every light going out…

He felt fear, real honest fear for the first time. It was ugly, menacing and thrilling. He wanted it to go away. His stomach hurt. He couldn't breathe. He needed to move. _Breathe… Need to breathe. _His mind was yelling at him to move. His muscles wouldn't go. He was afraid and then it intensified. He could see something coming.

_Move… move… Kriff! Move!_

He could move again, but it was too late. Far too late. It was too late for everyone.

Everything was blissfully silent. Serene. Somewhere he knew something was wrong. He had heard something. _What happened?_ The pain came and he couldn't think of anything else.

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

The child looked around in confusion as the lights went off. The lights weren't supposed to go off. It was something that didn't happen. The lights were always on, that was how things worked. Only in her room were the lights supposed to be off.

"Sam," she whispered and hoped that maybe Sam was playing tricks again, "Sam, I'm scared. Please turn on the lights again… Sam!"

Then she remembered Sammy wasn't there. _Sammy stop hiding. Where are you? It has to be you. _"Sammy!"

Someone was next to her then, whispering.

"Mommy," she cried out in relief. _Everything is going to be alright. Mommy is here._

She hugged her mother and didn't let go, even as her mother tried to get her to release her small hands. They had moved to position themselves behind a booth. She could see the lights coming from a cruiser. But she didn't fear. _Mommy is here. Everything will be alright._

She basked in the safety of her mother's embrace as the lights neared. She could see the pilot's face. A panicked look, like the one her mother wore when she played hide and seek in the store. _Hide and seek is fun. _She wondered who he was looking for.

When she heard the screams she just clung tighter to her mother. She could hear glass shattering and had the feeling that something was wrong. _It's okay. Mommy is there. Mommy will keep me safe. _Something was stinging and she could feel her mother's hands pulling her in closer. _Mommy will keep me safe._

_Everything will be fine._

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

They were supposed to have drills for this. They did have drills, but it was like having a drill for finding yourself sucked through a wormhole and landing in an alternate universe. It wasn't supposed to happen. The drills were a fun useless exercise, until they became reality.

The first indication something was wrong was when the lights went out and the place was swamped in darkness. Unusual.

The second indication was that the window he was stationed next to emitted no light. It was pitch black. That never happened.

The third indication was the backup generators whirring online. The impossible was happening.

Then it went from Oh-Kriff to Sith spit. It was a burnout. There was no power. And the doors of the prison cells were opening. Coruscant's detention center, holding the most dangerous criminals was about to be a murder fest.

By the pale light of the backup generators, the guard looked outside of the central tower. The prisoners were rushing out. He swallowed. The impossible had happened, they weren't prepared, and the prisoners were free.

He may just be a guard, but he knew his duty. _Force may I make it through this day. Please let me see my family again._ Besides him stood his friend, an old partner. They nodded to each other, both understanding the risk and necessity of what they were going to do. It was their job, but for the people. They would protect their family. They would protect their friends. The would protect the innocents. They would die trying or keep the prisoners contained.

"Ready Fein?"

"Of course, you?"

"Will I ever be?"

They looked at one another and nodded. Their faces tight.

"Call the clones."

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

The healer stared at the screen in confusion.

No Signal

That wasn't supposed to happen. He was on a medical center which could access multiple signals. A precaution against sabotage by the Separatists. For there to be no signal meant that multiple towers had to be destroyed. He had a signal just a couple minutes ago. He fingered the comm. Perhaps it was temporary. Perhaps he was overreacting. _It's nothing. It's a simple malfunction. I'll call in the techs. They'll have it running in no time._

"Technology support please. My console crashed," he commed.

There was some shouting in the background as his request was relayed and the dread in his stomach began to build up.

"Healer Walccra, your screen doesn't happen to say by any chance, 'No Signal'?"

_It can't be_, "Yes sir, but it can't be. All the towers would have to be knocked out."

"Healer, nobody can get a signal. Even our long range distance communicators. We are for all purposes alone."

He felt the force tremor around him and he could feel various voices crying out in confusion, "What could have happened?"

"Current belief is that the Separatists have launched a large scale attack. We are preparing to defend the station."

"But sir, the wounded. Without access to the Galactic Database how are we supposed to help them?" 

"Any suggestions are welcome Healer Walccra. We still have our communicators so we are listening for signals and preparing units to be deployed if necessary."

He nodded as the man rambled on, "Sir, I'm coming down there. I want to see if any of the Jedi codes still work. Deploy units to the closest systems and see what happened. Make sure to send a technician for those with towers to see if anything can be fixed or salvaged."

"But healer, if this is a Separatist attack we need to prepare ourselves and sending our men would be suicide."

He looked at the console again and shook his head, "If the Separatists have managed to amass such an army it wouldn't matter what we do. Our patients will die without access to the database, but every planet makes contributions to the Galactic Database. If we can get just one tower running per sector then there is still hope and we can actually coordinate a counter attack. Doing nothing would be murder."

He could hear a sigh on the other end of the com, "It will be done."

"Good," he whispered. _I need to meditate._

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

Sidious smiled in delight as he felt the fear forming throughout the galaxy. _How weak they all are. So susceptible and stupid. You just take away their ever so dear communications and they fall into disarray. Weaklings, all of them._

He felt someone warily approach him. _Good. Fear me, for you are weak._

"My lord," the subservient voice came, "What are your orders?"

He smiled slightly, it felt good to have such power. The being of course meant if he had suggestions. The Separatist leaders were still technically in command. Just a bit longer. He had things to do.

"Release the droids. Let them strike fast and deadly. Without communications there will be no way for them to stop us."

He frowned slightly this time. Communications brought hope to the weak, but also spread fear.

"Set up our own towers to broadcast our victories and deeds. Let them fear us."

"Yes my lord, is there anything else?"

He shook his head and lowered the hood over his head, "I have things to do… alone. Consider it… _research._"

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

**I hope you enjoyed the rather short chapter. Once again sorry for my absence. I admit reviews saying somewhere along the lines of "Please Update" helped to kick my muse out of its lawn chair contemplating the summer. While "Please Updates" serve no purpose when posted on the day I update, feel free to PM me or just annoy me until I update if I'm gone longer than a month. On that note:**

**I solemnly swear to never abandon a story and always finish it (eventually).**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello my dear readers! I'm here to present Ch.13… First thanks to rata2, KTapering, Kita Ronin (Guest), Bobboky, and DawnDayrider for reviewing. I always appreciate reviews, especially ones that tell me how to improve.**

**This is the betaed chapter with various typos of the original chapter fixed.**

**Once again Star Wars belongs to Jar-Jar, I mean Disney.**

_? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__?_

Padmé let herself lean against the wall, having finally brought the various younglings to bed. The older ones complained and argued that they were too old for a curfew. That it wasn't necessary for them to go to bed. The younger children cried and pestered her with questions out of worry, the excitement of going on a trip fading.

She smiled wearily as she saw her husband exit the cockpit, "How are you?"

Walking up to her, he hugged her and whispered in her ear, "Tired my love. Please tell me that our children won't be that energetic."

She laughed slightly and gave him a playful shove, "You want some caf Ani?"

He nodded eagerly and together they went to the small kitchen. Pouring the hot caf into two cups, Padmé sat down wearily. She was exhausted. Too much was happening in too short of a time.

"I'm exhausted Ani… It's sort of weird to know that your children from the future are back. I'd never have imagined for them to be like that. I wish I got to know Leia better… I wonder what made them this way."

She watched as her husband looked guiltily at her and rubbed his head awkwardly. He didn't respond as she raised her eyebrow at him. Instead of paying attention to her, he took another sip of caf. A slight grimace adorned his face as he drank from the caf. _Probably too bitter for him._ Anakin looked back up at her and she raised an eyebrow.

"Is there something you know that I don't?" Padmé asked.

Her husband winced slightly, "It may have been my fault or would have been had Luke not interfered. I…"

"Ani, I know you and I know you would never intentionally harm anybody."

"But Padmé," he looked up at her his face haunted, "I fell. I hurt him. It was my fault. And the scary thing is I don't know what could cause something like that. Why would I hurt my children?"

Anguish adorned her husband's face and she slowly got up to sit next to him, "Ani… It will be alright. Forewarned is forearmed."

He didn't respond as she sat down next to him, "But Padmé how? What could have been so terrible to cause something like this. Why?"

_How am I supposed to answer that? There's nothing I can say._

A hand slid over to hers and clasped it tightly, "I'm glad that people know we're married. I feel so free. Despite everything happening, I know we'll be okay."

Smiling she leaned against him, "You know I still can't believe that Palpatine is a Sith Lord. That he has been hiding all these years. I… I _trusted_ him Ani."

"Yes I know. It feels really weird to know that the only person I ever saw as a father figure besides Obi-Wan conspired to kill you and happens to be a Sith Lord. I know it's true, but I don't think it has sunk in yet.¨

"Nobody suspected him Ani," she whispered and snuggled in closer, "Perhaps he is what led the other you astray. You know who he is now, so there's nothing to be worried about."

She could feel him smiling, "So Padmé in our rare moment of peace do you want to watch," he held up a holodisk, "The Jedi Princess…"

Making a face, she looked at him, "You're joking Ani. That sounds terrible! There can't be a … Jedi Princess!"

A smile blossomed on his face, "I don't know my love, I think our daughter will be the most wonderful Jedi Princess… or we could watch…"

He hid the disk behind his back, but not before Padmé could glimpse it, "Anakin give it to me. You know I love that movie. Anakin!"

Bowing, "As the lady commands, _The Lords of the Galaxy _and of course a serving of ice cream."

_? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__?_

Yoda leaned on his gimmer stick wearily as he watched sheer chaos unfold in front of him. The planet was damp and he could already imagine the creaking of his bones. If the climate of the force forsaken planet wasn't enough, the entire place was a swamp. Mud gurgled under his feet and sprayed across his cloak. The trees were looming ominously and the place stank. All of that didn't account for the inhabitants. Sure they were new inhabitants, but Yoda shrank in fear.

_Corrupted by the Darkside the younglings have been. A powerful and dangerous weapon of the Darkside chocolate is._

"You know Yoda," Luke's voice drew Yoda out of his horrified musings, "The first time I met you was on this planet. You really taught me a lot."

The diminutive Jedi glanced around his horror not abating, "Doomed we are.."

"You're full of cheer aren't you Yoda. Let's get to work."

Yoda shook his head and followed Luke. _Doomed we are. Become minions of the Darkside the younglings have. Never sleep do they?_

Before him he could see Luke gracefully picking his way through the terrain, whistling an atrociously cheerful whistle. He grimaced and hopped over a log. Around him the younglings screamed in delight, running in a haphazard fashion. They fell over and got back up with an excited grin, just to trip again elsewhere. He winced slightly as he looked at the hordes of what he now knew to be demons, never had he seen such behavior from Jedi younglings.

"Relax Master Yoda, they're kids, they're excited and they've had chocolate, way too much, but in a couple hours you'll be surrounded by by a lot of whiny younglings who are tired and just want to sleep."

"Normal is this?" Yoda cried, "Never, in all my years, seen such chaos I have!"

Luke chuckled and helped another youngling from the ground, "I doubt you've been around children much outside of a class setting. They pay attention for a while and then once outside they run around and burn off their energy. It will get better. Just remember to give them plenty of free time where they can burn off their excess energy."

Yoda turned to face Luke again, his face suspicious, "Leaving are you? The younglings, hyper they are, but teach I do, baby sit, I do _not_!."

"Never too late for a career change Yoda," Yoda scowled at the insolent man, "Asajj and I have things to do. I've got to train her some more and see how I can help the people of the galaxy. Sidious will have an attack plan, which of course must be foiled."

"Miss you I will, but right you are. Help the galaxy needs. Teach the younglings I will," he stopped and poked his stick at Luke, "To be left out of the fight, happy I'm not."

"Of course Yoda, but someone has to protect the younglings. Should it be safe for the younglings to be left unguarded, I'll come and get you."

_Leave the younglings alone? Saving, the planet needs from them._

With a bow, Luke departed to his fighter. Yoda stood there watching him and wondering what would happen now. Things had changed and more change was coming. Around him he could feel the Force shimmering and whispering in pleasure. _Perhaps, alright things will be._

Yoda glanced at the younglings around him who were chattering excitedly. _In grave danger the galaxy is. Rise, the younglings shall. _He grimaced, _To bed, must they go, for the galaxy's sake._

_? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__?_

Across the galaxy, Mace Windu was experiencing a similar problem to Yoda. _I miss the Temple, poor creche masters, dealing with these menaces all the time._

"Master Mace! Master Mace! Look what I made!" screamed an excited youngling next to his ear, pointing to a lump of snow.

"What is it?" he hesitantly asked, _I'm not sure if I want to know. What sort of creature is it?_

"It's you, Master Windu. Do you like it?"

Knowing what the object of interest was supposed to represent, Mace could see the deformed lump changing. The twigs became arms and the weird fruit was his head. He stared at it in horror. _Surely I do not look like that. _

"It's very nice youngling, where's my lightsaber?"

The child looked down at the ground in shame, "The snow wouldn't stick to its hands," he smiled again, "I know! You lost it like Master Anakin always does."

He wanted to grumble and explain that he wouldn't lose his lightsaber, but instead smiled and said, "That makes sense youngling."

The child grinned widely and ran off to join his friends in the snow. Around him he could see other children making representations of various people. The smallest lump with children gathered around grinning, was probably Yoda.

Looking around the snowy planet with sparse life, he remembered the importance of shelter. The shuttle wasn't big enough to hold everyone without driving everyone insane. The shuttle would also have to be camouflaged. Casting another look at the occupied younglings, he began to trudge through the snow to the shuttle.

Standing in front of the shuttle made Mace realize how utterly tiny he was. He wondered how he was going to be able to move enough snow to cover the shuttle without making it appear as if there was a giant hill in the middle of nowhere. Moaning, he set to work with the aid of the Force to cover the shuttle in snow. Consumed in his work, he didn't notice the snowball hurtling toward his head. Growling, he turned around to glare at the giggling younglings behind him. _They dare to… _A wave of his hand caused a lump of snow to hurtle towards them. _It is not revenge. _Despite his thoughts, he smiled in satisfaction as the younglings screeched happily and dove out of the way.

Hours later, as the planet spun away from the light, the group collected themselves inside the shuttle, holding steaming mugs of hot chocolate. With no one there to watch, Mace closed his eyes contently. The Force washed over him and he could almost feel it reverberating with the younglings' laughter. _I had fun. _He opened his eyes again and glanced at the sleeping younglings, smiles adorning their face. _Happiness… The Force is so happy. The darkness can't stay here because they are so happy. _He took out his lightsaber, fingering it gently. He remembered the feel of the lightsaber slicing through droids and the smell of burnt flesh. It was an elegant and deadly weapon which allowed only a rare few to escape from its blade. He remembered how he and his comrades only had to ignite a lightsaber for a criminal to surrender. Eyes wandered over to the sleeping younglings again. _So many dead. Dead before this cursed war and because of the war. Too many dead. _It was rare to meet a Jedi who hadn't seen death. _Perhaps this is the true purpose of the war. We live in constant fear. Fear of death rules us. _Taking a sip of his caf before getting up, he began to clean up. _The younglings are lucky, to live free of fear. They're free of the taint of war. Perhaps this is what the Sith want, for us to become so war hardened we lose sight of ourselves; of what we are meant to be. _

A slight snore could be heard from the sleeping younglings. Mace smiled slightly as he turned to look at its source. There was a child, a young rodian, who was sprawled across the booth clutching a small plush toy with a smile adorning his face. _They'll be safe from war here. _He walked over to the youngling and grabbed a blanket which he used to tuck the child in. _Perhaps this self imposed exile isn't too bad. We can prepare ourselves to be strong and not let ourselves live in fear. So much fear exists in this galaxy and these younglings are the key to reversing it. One day they will have to face the hatred that has developed for Jedi, for something they never did. We messed up so much. _He clipped his lightsaber on to his belt, remembering how he received its unique crystals. _We grew complacent, sure of our own power. Power which we should not seek. I'll teach them properly, how to be strong, what it means to be a Jedi._ He grabbed another blanket and found an unoccupied bench to sleep. _They're the future and we'll teach them right._ His eyes closed and he sank into the world of dreams.

_? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__?_

It had been a bad day for trooper MN-6392. First communications had gone down and as a result the clones were put on high alert. They had rotated through sentry duty to watch the skies, hoping that nobody would attack. Of course if one thing goes wrong, everything else goes wrong too. A ship, spotted by a sentry was seen heading to the outlying villages. MN-6392 was deployed among other clones to report what was happening and aid the villagers.

The unknown ship, identified itself clearly as a Separatist ship by depositing a bunch of droids and opening fire on the village before flying elsewhere. MN-6392 and his brothers had stood there bravely, firing upon the droids who were intent on slaughtering the villagers. At the end of the day the clones returned back to base, apprehensive of what the next day would bring.

Almost every outlying village had been attacked, but unlike customary Separatist attacks; the droids left survivors. The distraught and anguished family members that had been spared from the slaughter gathered within the base, their faces covered in dried tears. MN-6392 was definitely not having a good day. He could taste the fear of the civilians as they crowded around the base.

Gathering a tray with food he headed over to the survivors, handing out the broth. A small crying boy attracted his attention and he kneeled down in front of him. Hugging the child was a young girl, her eyes looking around in confusion.

"Do you want some soup, young one?"

The child shook his head vigorously and curled up on himself, sobs racking his body. The girl looked at him in confusion. Her eyes searching for something only she knew.

"Where's mommy and daddy?"

The clone blinked underneath his helmet, "I'm afraid I don't know ma'am."

A small tear escaped, "I'm scared. It was scary and noisy. Mommy and daddy fell down from a red light… Where are they?"

He swallowed as he looked down at the two young children. _Siblings probably. Poor them. _Never had he needed to deal with children. _Children aren't supposed to be in war zones. _The little girl was still looking at him.

Slowly he took off his helmet and placed it next to him, "What's your name?" 

"Anne," she held up four fingers, "I'm four."

The clone chuckled, "Is that your brother?"

"Yah."

"What's his name?"

A smile burst onto her face, "Eddie! He's the bestest big brother ever."

The brother, hearing his younger sister, looked at her, "I'm your only brother and it's best."

"You're still the bestest," she replied with a smile.

MN-6392 looked gave the brother a bowl of the broth, "Are you alright?"

"No," he growled, "It's your fault they're dead!"

"Dead?" the girl whispered, "I don't understand. What do you mean dead?"

The brother looked down guiltily, "I was angry Annie, they're fine. They're going to come and get us," at the last part his voice raised hopefully.

An uncommon emotion ran through the clone, sadness. _Their parents will never come, unless someone recovered their bodies, they'll lie there without a funeral… Kriffing Separatists who do this. They tear people apart! _He looked at the children again.

"Hey Anne, you want to look at my helmet? It's pretty neat and has a lot of nice features"

When the child nodded, he gingerly passed her the helmet and began to point out its many features. Besides her the boy shifted, curious. As Anne's little hands inspected the helmet and looked at the scorch marks in fascination, a small smile began to blossom one her face. In return MN-6392 began to also feel glad, he loved the little smile and hated the Separatists for harming her. He wanted to protect her. _No child should ever suffer like this. _

Turning to the boy, "Eddie, I could show you how the blaster works if you're careful, do you want to?"

The young boy looked between him and his sister, debating something, before looking down again, "I'm sorry for snapping at you," looking up again, "Can you teach me how to use a blaster?"

"Why," civilians, especially children normally didn't learn how to fire a blaster.

"So I won't be defenseless again and have to watch them… them," tears were starting again, "slaughtering everyone. They didn't care! They just wanted to kill as many people as possible. They're evil! I hate them!"

"Shh," he whispered, "Doing something he had seen the civies do, "It's alright. We can go to the training rooms and I'll teach you how to shoot. Everything will be alright.

He grinned slightly, "Sorry again. Thanks."

"It's alright, let's get going shall we?"

The two children nodded and got up slowly and Anne slipped her hand into his.

"Wait," called out another survivor, "Will you teach us too?"

MN-6392 looked around in surprise, "You want to fight?"

"We all do," cried an elderly woman, "Those droids took everything from us, our children, our friends, our homes, everything. I'll be damned if I go out without a fight. Those Separatist scum will pay. I want to make them pay!"

Cheers erupted from the rest of the survivors at the speech. The clone smiled slightly. _It is astounding. Civies that want to fight. I guess I'll help them fight. Together we may have a chance._

"If you want to fight, I'll teach," MN-6392 yelled, "But be warned that it won't be easy. If you want to fight you have to be fit and fast. I can teach you how to use the equipment, but if your body isn't strong enough, you'll be unable to last in a fight. If I'm going to teach you how to fight and survive, there'll be no room for petty grudges and prejudices."

The survivors nodded in understanding and a brave soul shouted, "We'll do everything we can to get back at those clankers!"

The army was about to get reinforcements from an unlikely source.

_? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__? __ﾝﾄﾾ__?_

**The plethora of christmas songs on the radio have definitely influenced this chapter. **

** is now entering what I call the dead time because of students having finals/midterms and people enjoying the holidays. As the fandom crawls to a near stop, should I update more often, with shorter chapters so there's something to read or do I keep my update schedule (an update every Sunday) as it is?**

**Next chapter: General Grievous and Palpatine's mysterious research...**


	14. Chapter 14

**A day late… but here you go. Thanks to Nataly SkyPot, Bobboky, DawnDayrider, and ILDV for reviewing. Also many thanks Khalthar for betaing.**

**Please remember that Star Wars belongs to Disney.**

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

Asajj watched Luke sitting at the holotable, fiddling with the message. An hour ago a Separatist broadcast had begun to play and Luke had been fiddling with the kriffing thing ever since, not allowing the shuttle to enter hyperspace. _What the kriff does he think he can do? _

Next to her master, an astromech patiently waited for Luke's next instructions. Asajj observed him for another minute before sitting down again to wait out her Master's strange fascination. He wasn't even watching the Separatists' propaganda or how they were attacking various systems.

"Try Leia," he ordered the droid.

The droid emitted a lengthy string of beeps.

"You already did? I thought I had it… What about… In remembrance of Leia?"

The broadcast was interrupted again and flickered slightly.

"Hmm… not quite, but I'm getting close."

Asajj groaned and walked over to her him, "Master, excuse me, but _what_ are you trying to do?"

She felt his surprise as he glanced up from his work, "I'm… wait, try... In remembrance of Leia, a warrior to honor."

"Master are you even listening to me, what are you trying to do?"

_He's a great Jedi, but he seriously has some kriffing problems when he doesn't explain stuff._ Luke raised his eyebrow at her, as if hearing her thoughts. _That'd be embarrassing if he could._

"Asajj have you noticed anything curious about the holo transmission?"

She rolled her eyes, "Besides your obsession, no."

He frowned, put off by her disrespect and the feeling of failure descended on Asajj, "Depending on the frequency, the transmissions waver slightly in different ways."

"Yes Master, but all transmissions do that."

A frown marred his face, "Perhaps it is because where I'm from that I felt the need to inspect the transmission. At home, they never wavered unless there was interference."

"All transmissions have interference, like planets, so what do you mean interference?"

"Well Asajj," he began, "there are two types of interference I have been aware of. Older equipment used in my youth, was affected by things like asteroids or storms surrounding the sender or the recipient. Things in between rarely had an impact. The other type of interference is another signal. Depending on the bandwidth I tune in on, the images flicker differently. So I got suspicious."

_He's insane,_ "What's the astromech doing?"

Luke chuckled and gestured at the astromech. The droid beeped happily and the transmission began to garble, until an old familiar raspy voice filled the room. The words weren't always perfectly clear, but she could understand him. _What in the kriffing galaxy is happening?_

"If you are hearing this message Luke, then you've successfully broken the encryption and are as smart as I thought you are."

The voice broke out in some raspy coughs and Asajj could hear metal clanging in the background.

"Luke... your sister Leia was a very courageous and valiant individual. Her words and actions while in the face of insurmountable odds, have shown and reminded me of who I am, and what I should be doing," he paused before continuing, "I realize that she did not survive and for that you have my truest and sincerest condolences, the galaxy lost someone great that day."

The signal became distorted and Asajj could hear the general banging the equipment in frustration. Whatever technical difficulties he found on the other side were overcome and he began to speak again.

"The galaxy may never know what was lost when she died, but she attained a great victory for the Republic beforehand. I will no longer support or aid the Separatists in their cause; instead, I will focus on keeping my home world safe from the perils of war. My primary concern is to keep my home planet safe from tyranny and the only way that can be done is if the Sith are destroyed. I will aid you Luke, in honor of your sister, to create a better world where all things are equal. I feel that if I can't trust you, then I can trust no one. I warn you to never trust the Separatist scum and not underestimate Sidious."

The message was silent for a moment, "With the Greatest Respect for the Valiantly Fallen, I General Grievous say this. If you accept my proposal meet me on Muunilinst. There is a wrong to right."

Asajj remained silent as she contemplated the message. _That was interesting._ _Grievous always seemed so loyal._ Besides her she could feel a similar wave of confusion.

"What happened on Muunilinst?"

A hot burning shame coursed through her as she remembered the world and how it had been destroyed. _We obliterated their home world. It will be a wonder if they ever rise again._

Luke's hand settled on her shoulder, "What happened?"

She closed her eyes and looked at him, "The Separatists had a base there. When the Republic armies came, nearly everything was destroyed. We didn't care, it was a game. How many Jedi could be killed," she laughed harshly, "It was a game… The natives were killed by the dozen and before the Republic came, there were rumors… Sometimes military leaders decided to take… a vacation. The Muun were smart, but how could they predict such savagery. There were stories… and the proof lies with the countless dead littering the fields. What have I done Master?"

Luke pulled her in an embrace, as he whispered soothing words. _I helped those monsters. They killed so many, so many and I didn't care. How can I ever be forgiven?_

"It may surprise you child," Luke began softly, "that people persevere through the worst. Everyone fails and falls. Strength doesn't come from how often you don't fall, but from your ability to get up and become stronger. To walk away and not condemn the world. I've seen the worst in people; I see it in every government, in every conquering force. There is a need to oppress, to prove oneself stronger. No species is exempt."

"How… how can you live with knowing that?"

He laughed slightly and she could feel his sadness, "I don't know. There are things we shouldn't know, for our own sanity. Yet I do, and the knowledge drives me insane… But I've seen the best in others, how they get back up. I marvel at their strength, I don't think I have it."

She shook her head vehemently. _He has to be strong; he isn't allowed to be weak. There is so much power for him to wield, yet he exercises such restraint._

"I lack that strength," he paused for a moment, seemingly lost in his thoughts, "I was rather naive in my youth. Always had an expectation of succeeding and that things would end in the best. So many died in our crusade for freedom and perhaps it was a good crusade, yet I can't forget all those voices suddenly silenced as we blew things up. Nor were we perfect… we ignored so many things."

_This can't be happening_, "But you are here and have helped so many."

Once again he laughed, "Asajj, that's why I had Leia, have Dia, and now you. I admire your ability to keep hoping for a better future. I'm too cynical. This war will not be the end, there will be another one, whether we win or lose. Sith or Jedi, the Force will sway things in a way that it likes. Perhaps that's my problem, I feel too much. I feel every death, I felt the shock when I learned my father was a Sith, I feel everything. Yet despite feeling so much, I can't kriffing act on it. I can't forget the impact of my actions and can't be selfish for once."

"I don't understand."

"Yes, I've been called selfish, but I've never had a day off, where I've done something because I just wanted to despite the consequences. Never."

Something was prompting Asajj to comfort the strange man, who she could now see was so broken. He had been broken again and again, each time he stitched himself back together and never looked back. _How many times have I looked back? Never look back, a motto for destruction and creation. _

Luke's posture morphed back to his chirpier self, pretending his baggage was gone. _It is all an act though. There's so much on his shoulders, a burden nobody but his sister ever understood._

"So Asajj, are the Separatists on Muunilinst still?"

"I'd believe so. There are a lot of droid foundries there."

Luke smiled happily, "Well let's pick up Dea and see if our friend is being honest. Either way, we can deal a crippling blow to the Separatists if we can stop the factories. It'll be a start.

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

Darth Sidious was staring at the tiny planet in jubilation. He could feel the distinctly dark Force-presence clouding the planet. As an apprentice he had started his research and now as the Master he had looked at it again and found the object of interest. _I will conquer the galaxy and nothing will stop me. _

His only annoyance was that he couldn't contact his future recruits from space. The planet's magnetic field was messing with his sensors and communication devices. Even landing would be difficult.

Regardless of any possible difficulties, Sidious began his slow descent into the atmosphere, wary of possible threats. He maneuvered near a city, his eyes scanning the assembling crowd. _How can they bear to be in the presence of each other? Where is the leader?_

The Darksiders stepped away to clear room for him to land. Carefully he checked his Force-presence to insure that nobody would feel him. _I may be more powerful, but they are far more numerous. I will maintain the advantage._

The ship jerked slightly as it touched the ground and Sidious hoisted his hood over his face. _I will prevail and the Jedi will pay._ The Darkside rose around him, like a viper, slithering its way free. Around him he could feel the other Darksiders' presence, weak and inadequate, like an untrained apprentice. _There's something else that's powerful_. The presences he felt were strong, almost at his level. _These must be the Masters._

He lowered the ramp, well aware of the intimidating effect he was projecting, and walked down. Crowded before him stood various inhabitants, holding ignited lightsabers. Sidious called on the Force, allowing him to brush against their minds. _Fear me. I'm going to be your new Master. You'll bow down before me and destroy the Jedi. The galaxy will be mine to conquer._

His gaze skimmed the crowd and noticed the various outfits; there was a hidden hierarchy in the crowd. _When I was trying to land there were people in various settlements, the legends talk of one ship. _He glanced at them again. _Somehow they managed to establish a culture, but where is the leader I sense. _He could feel something powerful waiting, and the something was plural.

He stepped onto the ground, his shoes ringing against the stones and bowed.

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

Asajj welcomed Dea on board and smiled slightly in respect. The former Padawan embraced her Master.

"Like old times?"

Luke gave his Padawan a tight smile, "Like old times," and walked back into the shuttle.

Asajj looked at Dea, "Why is he like that?"

She laughed, not at all disturbed by Luke's behavior, "There remain two great mysteries that the Jedi wish to study; the Force… and Master Luke."

_Really, don't they have anything better to do?_ Luke remained a mystery, a man who was so broken, but didn't let people see that. She slumped into a seat and closed her eyes. _I am so tired._

The whine of the hyperdrive caused her to abruptly come out of her slumber. They had arrived at Muunilinst and shame filled her as she thought of the planet.

"Will they ever forgive us?" she whispered.

Dea walked out of the cockpit and stared at her. Understanding waves rolling away from her through the force. Asajj but her lip angrily. _I don't need pity. I want to be able to forgive myself. I don't need the Jedi. I just feel sorry for all those innocents who got drawn into a war, not of their intention._

"Don't beat yourself up about it. You need to learn to let go and focus on how to make up for it."

"Like you'd be such an expert," she hissed back.

"I've seen plenty, Asajj. Being Luke's Padawan isn't for the light hearted. I've seen great men driven to madness focusing on their despair. That's why returning to the light is so hard, it is hard to forget your atrocities. The Darkside makes them seem okay, when they are truly horrendous."

"How would you know?"

"Dea closed her eyes, "You don't know anything… Our order learned from our mistakes. The dead speak to us. Luke's father remains a symbol. There doesn't go a day where he isn't filled with regret, but he still imparts his wisdom to us, so we do not follow his path.

The shuttle rocked lightly, a barely noticeable tremor letting them know they landed. Luke stepped out of the shuttle, his lightsaber clipped onto his belt.

"I do believe there's a General waiting outside for us."

"Wait what?" Dea exclaimed, "How did that happen?"

"My dear old former Padawan, he has eyes," Luke said jokingly.

The ramp opened, and the trio warily stepped outside. Before them stood General Grievous, in his normally stooped position.

"I'm surprised you came alone, Jedi. Where's the famous army?" he rasped.

To Asajj's amazement, Luke walked forward smiling, "In my experience, bringing an army to peace negotiations tends to have disastrous effects."

"And what if I bring my army to exterminate you Jedi?"

Luke laughed. _My Master is insane. Grievous is going to betray us and I'm going to die. This, journey to the light, is rather short and disastrous. _

"It would be unwise to betray me Grievous, I don't take betrayal lightly and you'll find that I'm a force to be reckoned with on my own."

Asajj held her breath as Grievous looked at their small party. She held herself strong. _If I'm going to die then it won't be like any of the Jedi weaklings._

Grievous coughed again, then said, "I think I may like you. Your attitude is refreshing, not many would be so brave… or foolish."

A lightsaber sprung into Luke's hands, "You want a test? Defend yourself, I'll attack in twenty."

Grievous stepped back.

"Nineteen!"

The arms began to unfold…

"Seventeen!"

She watched in horror as the lightsabers ignited. _I don't want Luke to die._

"Fifteen!"

Grievous charged forward…

"Twelve!"

Luke nimbly stepped to the side.

"One! I believe it's my turn."

Asajj watched in wonder, as she saw Luke swing his own lightsaber. _I knew he was good, but this takes it to a different level._ He continuously missed by a hair span and the speed never let up. Grievous stumbled backwards, trying to defend himself against the onslaught.

The lightsabers clashed in bright lights, whirring faster than the eye could follow. _It doesn't matter how many lightsabers Grievous has, Luke has the Force. _She could feel the Force surrounding him, like a supernova. It was hot and bright, so blinding. It wasn't light or dark, it was just there… She had never felt anything like it, but it seared into brain. _He isn't shielding, or he's shielding a lot less._

Grievous's lightsabers clattered as they hit the ground.

Asajj swallowed as she felt his power draw back and left the area feeling vacant, as if something essential had disappeared.

"Have I proven my point General?" Luke asked coldly.

Surprise flooded her as the General bowed before her Master, "You've shown your strength and honor, I'd be honored to fight besides you. What do you plan General?"

Surprise briefly crossed Luke's face, "We will help these people and use the ships here to mobilize our own forces. This seems to be one of the last places with a communications tower… Once we regain the planet for the people, we'll ask if we can use the tower to send our own signal."

"You'd give the planet back to the people?"

Asajj smiled as she felt her Master's confusion, "Why would I want a planet? It's a giant rock which is only useful for those living on it. I've got a spaceship."

The General threw his head back in laughter, "I didn't think your kind existed. Most people would think that a giant piece of _rock_ is great because it's giant."

"I don't need it."

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

Sidious looked at the council warily, feeling their power through the Force.

"Why are you here?" the leader asked.

Sidious swallowed, "I've come here for the legacy of the Sith, my brethren have been searching for you for a long time."

"Why," a female asked and Sidious resisted the urge to scowl at her gender.

"Your ancestors were brave and strong, conquering the weaklings and the Sith have long plotted conquering the galaxy, with your help, we will finally succeed."

_They're a warrior race and love to conquer, furthermore they know the superiority of humans. _

Sidious continued, "Long have Masters plotted how to eradicate the Jedi scum and enslave the worthless."

Another councilman leaned forward, "Surely you weren't as foolish to lay down all your hopes of success with us?"

Curtailing his annoyance, "I almost succeeded and had accounted for nearly every factor. The Force sent an anomoly though, a Luke Spaceflyer. He's very strong in the Force and has the Jedi eating out of his hands. Alone I could take him, but with his other Jedi allies it would be most difficult. Don't you want to aid in the ending of such power, to prove yourselves?"

The Sith leaned back, contemplating his words. _This is a gamble. The group is necessary to win, without them my plan is doomed to failure. _A powerful Force-presence washed over him and he bristled along with the other council members.

"Spaceflyer," he hissed.

"You know this presence?" asked an elderly man.

Sidious closed his eyes, _this will work for my advantage,_ "Yes he's the Jedi I told you about, Luke Spaceflyer. Only the strongest warriors will have a chance against him."

The council remained silent for a while, an unknown conversation transpiring.

Finally the leader broke the silence, "What's in it for us?"

Sidious smiled. _Negotiations have begun. You will run Jedi, but there'll be no place to hide from this army. This lost tribe of Sith will be unbeatable!_

? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ? ﾝﾄﾾ?

**Thanks for reading. Remember that reviews make my day.**

**Last chapter before the release of The Force Awakens!**


End file.
